A new rule proposed by the Biden administration would ask airlines to reimburse passengers for expenses whenever there are serious delays or cancellations due to causes within the airline’s control, such as staff shortages or machinery breakdowns.
Frontier CEO Barry Biffle have another idea.
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Chat with some reporters after a Delta CEO Ed Bastian’s Wings Club Presentation This WeekBiffle has introduced an alternative rule that he says will be more effective at managing airline disruptions than asking carriers to pay for things like food, toiletries, and more. personal accommodation, hotels and alternative trip arrangements.
The return of “Rule 240.”
Rule 240 was a regulation prior to the Aviation Deregulation Act of 1978 that required airlines to carry each other’s passengers during delays or cancellations due to any cause other than bad weather.
Major airlines, which have inter-connection agreements, can still voluntarily rebook passengers on rival planes during unusual operations. However, that’s usually not required, and typically includes only the three legacy airlines — American, Delta and United, along with Alaska and potentially JetBlue in some cases. Smaller airlines and low-cost carriers, such as Southwest, Spirit, Frontier and others, do not have such arrangements, and the major airlines are not necessarily interested in joining the deals. online deals with their low-cost competitors.
“It turned off after [airline] consolidation,” said Biffle, referring to a series of mergers in the decades since deregulation resulted in three main legacy carriers. cut everyone off.”
Related: Biden administration presses airlines to compensate passengers for flight delays and cancellations
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Frontier, currently the only major airline that has not voluntarily provided hotel accommodation for passengers who have been canceled or delayed overnight, according to the report. Transportation facilitiesBiffle said it will be possible to work with larger airlines to serve their passengers during the disruption if the modernized Rule 240 is implemented.
“If we, as an industry, get together and say we’re going to protect the consumer, that if there’s a vacancy, you’ll have it,” customers will benefit more than those who don’t. what they will do according to the rules proposed by the government, suggested Biffle.
“There is a solution that already exists,” added Biffle. “And I want to work with other airlines and the Biden administration to make it happen.”
Finally, Biffle implied that collaborating on the rebooking scheme between airlines would benefit the airlines along with the customers.
“If you ask Southwest if they’d like access to my seat during their crisis, I bet they would,” he said, referring to the collapse of its operations. Southwest after winter storms during holiday travel, though Frontier will likely be able to handle only a small fraction of stranded passengers.
Also, the old rule only applies later in the Southwest saga – the first days of hurricane-related cancellations, which affect every carrier, will be considered weather-induced and not lead to rule activation.
Biffle said he has yet to approach the Biden administration or other airlines to campaign for the rule but said he intends to do so.
“I’m planning to talk to them,” he said. “I’ll talk to everyone.”
The DOT did not immediately respond to TPG’s request for comment.
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In the past, U.S. airlines have opposed claims to reimburse passengers for periods of significant delays or cancellations, arguing that it would force them to raise fares to offset additional costs. fig. The Biden administration proposal would include protections similar to those Compulsory in the European Union.
In a statement responding to the proposed rules earlier this month, Airlines for America, the trade group and lobbying organization that represents US airlines, said the airlines had implemented steps to minimize problems that are within their control.
“US airlines have no incentive to delay or cancel flights and do everything within their control to ensure flights depart and arrive on time,” A4A said.
