By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Friday that major U.S. airlines had declined to commit to increasing travel benefits for military personnel, the latest clash between the Biden administration and the airlines.
Buttigieg had urged airlines in April to do more for military personnel and promised to publicize the issue on a dashboard, but he said major airlines, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines, have refused “clear and enforceable commitments to do to American service members and their families.”
Airlines, which employ a large number of military veterans, insist they go above and beyond what USDOT measures benefits, but some say they don’t want to add those benefits to customer service plans, which would open them up to USDOT enforcement actions if they would not follow the rules. 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 airlines already offer.”
The dashboard measures whether airlines will voluntarily commit to waiving cancellation and change fees and providing full refunds for service members and family who cancel or reschedule travel plans due to military orders; offering some free bags and the lowest fare on 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 when they fly,” Buttigieg said.
Six out of 10 airlines did not receive green check marks from USDOT, including the three largest airlines along with Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue Airways.
Allegiant and Spirit Airlines received four checks and Frontier received three.
Southwest Airlines received two check marks for its existing baggage and change policies that apply to all passengers.
Airlines and the Biden administration have clashed repeatedly on a number of customer service fronts.
Earlier this month, major airlines sued USDOT over a new rule requiring prior disclosure of airline fees.
Airlines for America filed suit last month over USDOT rules that require airlines and ticket agents to disclose service fees in addition to airfare, saying it would help consumers avoid unnecessary or unexpected charges.
USDOT has created other dashboards since 2022 that measure the customer service benefits of other airlines and was directed by Congress to create a new dashboard on minimum aircraft seat size.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
