What is this — the mile lie club? The Department of Transportation has announced it will roll back widely lauded Biden-era plans to reimburse travelers for flight delays and cancellations automatically. Under the previous rule, which was finalized during the last few months of President Biden’s administration, carriers would have had to compensate passengers for … Read more
Is your upcoming trip on the no-fly list? Travelers nationwide could face cancellations and delays galore after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to cut flights at major airports amid the ongoing government shutdown— though it’s not yet clear when the changes will be announced. Starting Friday, there will be a 10% reduction in all … Read more
Five new Amtrak trains will begin rolling out between Washington, DC, New York and Boston at top speeds of 160 mph starting Thursday. The inaugural NextGen Acela ride is taking off from Washington’s Union Station, where the Department of Transportation is planning to reclaim management to “restore this federal asset to its former glory,” to New York’s … Read more
Crime rates aboard cruise ships leaving the US have reached a two-year high, and one expert says this creates a “dark cloud” for travelers. According to data from the Department of Transportation, allegations of 48 crimes were reported onboard cruise ships from Jan. 1, 2025, to March 30, 2025. Twenty-three incidents were reported rapes, 10 … Read more
The Transportation Department has imposed a $2 million penalty on JetBlue Airways for operating four chronically delayed flights on domestic routes — the first time it has imposed such a fine on an airline for the prohibited scheduling practice. USDOT said Friday that as part of a consent agreement with the airline, JetBlue will pay a $1 million fine and … Read more
The painful days of pay delays are finally over. . Travelers no longer need to fear getting stuck in a financial holding pattern should their flight get scrapped. US airlines are now required to issue passengers automatic refunds for tickets and other flight-related expenses should their flight get canceled or significantly delayed. “Today, our automatic … Read more
Complaints by US air travelers soared 12% last year, federal Department of Transportation data shows. There were 96,853 “submissions” from flyers in 2023, up from 86,240 in 2022, was the most since 2020, according to the annual Air Travel Consumer Report. Nearly 70%, or 67,661, of the submissions concerned US airlines, while 26% focused on … Read more
The Transportation Department said on Tuesday it is opening an investigation into Delta Air Lines after the carrier canceled more than 5,000 flights since Friday as it struggles to recover from a global cyber outage that snarled airlines worldwide. While other carriers have been able to resume normal operations, Delta has continued to cancel hundreds of flights daily. … Read more
Major US airlines are suing the Transportation Department over a new rule requiring upfront disclosure of airline fees, the latest clash between air carriers and the Biden administration. Airlines for America, along with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines, filed suit in the US Fifth Circuit Court of … Read more
Southwest Airlines said it had launched a compensation program for flight delays as part of a $140 million Department of Transportation settlement over the carrier’s meltdown in December 2022 during a busy holiday travel period. Southwest in December 2023 agreed over three years to provide $90 million in travel vouchers of $75 or more to passengers delayed at least three … Read more
The Department of Transportation reminded airlines on Wednesday that they must provide “prompt” automatic refunds to customers who miss their flight due to cancellation or delay. “Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them — without headaches or haggling,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. According to the DOT, passengers will be entitled to a full refund … Read more
Air travel is getting worse, judging from the number of consumer complaints. Consumer complaints about airlines nearly doubled in the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year and kept soaring in April and May, the Transportation Department said Wednesday. Those are the latest figures from the government. The Transportation Department said … Read more