🤑 It doesn’t get more affordable. Grab this 60% OFF Black Friday offer before it disappears…CLAIM SALE

Major US airlines will not commit to boosting military travel benefits, USDOT says

Published 05/31/2024, 04:58 PM
Updated 05/31/2024, 05:01 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg listens as U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the airline industry and consumer protections from the South Court Auditorium on the White House grounds in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2023. REUTERS/Leah
JBLU
-
LUV
-
DAL
-
UAL
-
HA
-
SAVEQ
-
AAL
-

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Friday said major U.S. airlines had declined to commit to boosting travel benefits for military personnel, the latest clash between the Biden administration and the air carriers.

Buttigieg in April had urged airlines to do more for military personnel and vowed to publicize the issue on a dashboard but he said major carriers including Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL), American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) and United Airlines have declined to "make clear and enforceable commitments to U.S. service members and their families."

Airlines, who employ a large number of military veterans, insist they go beyond what USDOT is measuring benefits but some say do not want to add those benefits to customer service plans, which would then open them to USDOT enforcement actions if they did not abide by those commitments.

Airlines for America, a trade group representing the largest U.S. passenger airlines, said the dashboard "shows only a fraction of what airlines offer service members" and said it "fails to reflect the numerous benefits carriers already offer."

The dashboard measures whether airlines will voluntarily commit to waiving cancellation and change fees and ensure full refunds for service members and family who cancel or reschedule travel plans due to military orders; offering some free baggage and the lowest fare for flights to visit service members recently injured in the line of duty.

"Service members and their families make extraordinary commitments and sacrifices for this country, and they deserve support and recognition whenever they fly," Buttigieg said.

Six of the 10 airlines received no green checkmarks from USDOT, including the largest three airlines along with Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU).

Allegiant and Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE) got four checks and Frontier three.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) received two checkmarks because of its existing baggage and change fee policies applying to all passengers.

Airlines and the Biden administration have repeatedly clashed on a number of customer service fronts.

Earlier this month, major airlines sued USDOT over a new rule requiring upfront disclosure of airline fees.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg listens as U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the airline industry and consumer protections from the South Court Auditorium on the White House grounds in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo

Airlines for America filed suit over USDOT rules last month requiring airlines and ticket agents to disclose service fees alongside the airfare, saying it would help consumers avoid unneeded or unexpected fees.

USDOT has created other dashboards since 2022 measuring other airline customer service benefits and was directed by Congress to create a new one on minimum airline seat size.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.