C@LAg said:
Under the rule, passengers are entitled to a refund for:
- Canceled or significantly changed flights: Passengers will be entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed, and they do not accept alternative transportation or travel credits offered. For the first time, the rule defines "significant change." Significant changes to a flight include departure or arrival times that are more than 3 hours domestically and 6 hours internationally; departures or arrivals from a different airport; increases in the number of connections; instances where passengers are downgraded to a lower class of service; or connections at different airports or flights on different planes that are less accessible or accommodating to a person with a disability.
I travel all the time -- 50% away from home -- and I don't agree with this. Flights get canceled or delayed for many reasons beyond control of the carrier, with weather typically the biggest cause. Hell even Pete's screwed up FAA causes issues when they understaff air traffic control at some airports.
You can blame airlines for mechanical issues, but I don't want them cutting corners to keep me in a plane if it needs a timeout for an unexpected maintenance issue. Over time, passengers will reward airlines with better on time performance because they value the reliability. Not the discount passengers of course, but the other 85% of us that need to get to places on time.
Sometimes planes are late because a pilot or attendant gets sick while on their route. Is that really the airlines fault? They call in a backup but that can take a few hours for them to show up. Do you want the airlines getting tougher on their crews and trying to force sick pilots and attendants to keep flying. I don't.
Sometimes things don't run on time. In fact, a lot of the time they don't, and it doesn't necessarily mean it's somebody's fault.
Pete-the-breastfeeder and uncle Joe need to stay the hell out of this.
