Record Southwest penalty not enough to protect passenger interests -consumer groups

A $140m US penalty slapped on Southwest Airlines Monday for a holiday meltdown last year has sent a "warning shot" to other carriers, but consumer groups argue more is needed to protect passengers, including legislative action. US airlines have for now avoided European-style rules that require carriers to compensate passengers for certain significant flight delays or cancellations, although President Joe Biden aims to require such payments. The Southwest settlement with the US Department of Transportation includes a $35m cash fine and a three-year mandate for the Dallas-based airline to provide $90m in travel vouchers of at least $75 to passengers with significant delays caused by the carrier. The DOT said it provides a strong "deterrent." But consumer advocates like Teresa Murray argue the DOT and US Congress need to do more to make airlines accountable. She said airlines must be responsible with their scheduling and be asked to accommodate passengers when their flights are canceled or delayed. Murray, consumer watchdog at US Public Interest Research Group, also urged Congress to give the states the authority to enforce existing consumer protection laws. "We book flights, we trust the airlines to get us where we want to go," Murray said in an interview. "A lot of times it seems like the airlines just consider us to be ticket numbers - seats on a plane. We actually have lives." Southwest has been in the eye of a storm after a blizzard last December forced the company to cancel almost 17,000 flights, disrupting travel plans for about 2m customers.<br/>