'I don't think the airlines are doing enough' - NY airport passengers on delays, deals

Record ID: 1687044

  • Title: 'I don't think the airlines are doing enough' - NY airport passengers on delays, deals
  • Date: 1st September 2022
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 1, 2022) (REUTERS) VIEW UP ESCALATOR INTO TERMINAL AT LAGUARDIA AIRPORT PASSENGERS WITH LUGGAGE VARIOUS OF WOMAN CHECKING IN VARIOUS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES TERMINAL / MAN CHECKING IN (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONNECTICUT TEENAGE COUNSELOR, MICHAEL MULFORD, SAYING: "So I had a flight booked for Saturday and my travel plans changed. So I booked the flight for today at 4:00. And on my way to the airport, I looked at my email and they had changed it to tomorrow without telling me, really just by email. And so I had to call American, wait for an hour on the line, and they were able to rebook me to a flight today. But if I hadn't looked at that, I would be out of luck today." VARIOUS OF SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CHECK-IN AT TERMINAL VARIOUS OF COUPLE WITH LUGGAGE AT AMERICAN AIRLINES CHECK-IN (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHICAGO-BASED MUSICIAN, MATT MICHEL, SAYING: "Just a couple of days ago, my brother, we were here for a, for a job, and we were leaving upstate New York for a flight. And his Southwest flight was canceled within less than 3 hours before the flight. So he had to hustle to rebook on American just to go back to Chicago. So, you know, and that was not the only thing that happened to our family in the last three, four months that we would be struggling either with rebooking or getting stuck in, you know, certain cities. So in that case, that, that hasn't been great." VARIOUS OF ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES BOARD WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 1, 2022) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English)MORNING CONSULT, TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY ANALYST, LINDSEY ROESCHKE, SAYING: "I think the clarity and transparency of telling customers that have had disrupted flights what they are owed is what's most necessary. It's not exactly what is offered, but, you know, putting it out there so the customer knows that they, what they're entitled to if their flight is canceled or delayed." NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 1, 2022) (REUTERS) PEOPLE ORGANIZING SUITCASES RETIRED ARGENTINE TEACHER, CLAUDIA PALAVIEINI, SEATED IN TERMINAL (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RETIRED ARGENTINE TEACHER, CLAUDIA PALAVIEINI, SAYING: "No, no, in our case, there's been no delays (in flying.) We've been able to fly on time just as we'd planned. We haven't had any problems." (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLORADO SPRINGS RENOVATIONS WORKER, DANNY ZUCKERMAN, SAYING: "Well, the buses, delayed. They charge a lot and there's, they never connect on time, the buses so you're actually waiting extra time for busses or trains. But this is the best deal I have ever seen on a plane." (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK RESIDENT, MITCH FANG, SAYING: "No, I haven't (had problems flying). We've been lucky. We haven't had our flights canceled. I know with the pilots, you know, issue and not having enough employees, we haven't experienced that, knock wood. [KNOCKS ON HEAD] Hopefully we don't experience that today." FANG WITH SON AT TERMINAL VARIOUS OF LUGGAGE BEING WHEELED THROUGH TERMINAL WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 1, 2022) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English)MORNING CONSULT, TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY ANALYST, LINDSEY ROESCHKE, SAYING: "The problem is that when passengers have a delayed or canceled flight, their experiences are very different depending on the airline, depending on the customer service agent that they interact with. And so that lack of clarity leads to confusion and leads to folks raising complaints, which then go to, of course, the Department of Transportation. So they're trying to institute some regulations. So it's very clear what people are entitled to. And I think it's necessary to compensate folks when their trips don't go as planned." NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 1, 2022) (REUTERS) MAN WITH SUITCASE (SOUNDBITE) (English) COMMERCIAL TEXTILES SALES REPRESENTATIVE, WHITLEY NOCK, SAYING: "I don't think the airlines are doing enough in order to make it easier for people to travel because they're asking you to change your flight before they even offer any type of incentive for you to do so." (REPORTER SAYING: "So did you fly at all during the pandemic? How was that for you?) NOCK SAYING: "I did fly a few times during the pandemic. It was a nice experience. Flights were pretty inexpensive, obviously, because not a lot of people were traveling. But now flights have definitely increased in costs." (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONNECTICUT TEENAGE COUNSELOR, MICHAEL MULFORD, SAYING: "Airlines should offer some sort of upgrade or compensation for the trouble that they caused someone. And, you know, I'm not looking for a full refund, but something would be nice on, some sort of compensation." SIGN FOR GATES COUPLE WITH LUGGAGE ON LINE JETBLUE PLANE ON TARMAC VARIOUS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES PLANES ON TARMAC / TAKING OFF
  • Embargoed: 15th September 2022 21:34
  • Keywords: La Guardia Airport Pete Buttigieg Transportation delays hotels
  • Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK + WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES
  • City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK + WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Company News Markets,Economic Events,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA001220001092022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Major U.S. airlines told the U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) that they will provide meals for customers delayed by three hours and hotel rooms for stranded passengers if prompted by issues under the airlines' control.
    American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, and others detailed commitments in customer service plans they updated this week at USDOT's prompting. Many airlines have previously offered vouchers or hotel rooms for delays they caused but did not spell out commitments in customer service plans.
    Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Aug. 19 that he would publish by Friday (September 2), ahead of the busy Labor Day holiday travel weekend, an "interactive dashboard" for air travelers to compare services each large U.S. airline provides when the cancellation or delay was due to circumstances within the airline’s control. Buttigieg had written airline chief executives asking them "at a minimum" to provide meal vouchers for delays of three hours or more and lodging for those who must wait overnight because of disruptions within the carrier’s control.
    But for airline passengers at LaGuardia airport Thursday (September 1), the problems are bigger than the fix.
    "I don't think the airlines are doing enough in order to make it easier for people to travel because they're asking you to change your flight before they even offer any type of incentive for you to do so," Whitley Nock, a traveling sales representative, told Reuters.
    Buttigieg also warned that USDOT is "contemplating options" to write new rules "that would further expand the rights of airline passengers."
    In the past, some airline customers had to know to ask for vouchers or hotels from airlines.
    Some airlines said in updated customer service plans that if they cannot find a hotel room, they will provide a voucher or reimburse stranded passengers if they find a reasonably priced room on their own and will reimburse them for transportation.
    Southwest Airlines said if meal vouchers are not available for a three-hour airport delay under its control they would honor reasonable requests for reimbursement.
    JetBlue will provide $12 meal vouchers and United Airlines will give meal vouchers for the "reasonable cost of a meal at airport food vendors. If you don’t automatically get one, just ask us" for three-hour delays under their control.
    In speaking to Reuters, travelers recounted their recent struggles.
    "Just a couple of days ago, my brother, we were here... for a job, and we were leaving upstate New York for a flight. And his Southwest flight was canceled within less than 3 hours before the flight," Chicago-based musician Matt Michel, told Reuters. "So he had to hustle to rebook on American just to go back to Chicago... and that was not the only thing that happened to our family in the last three, four months."
    (Production by: Hussein al Waaile, Aleksandra Michalska and Dan Fastenberg)
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