Chances are you’ve heard about the complications within the airline industry, or maybe you’ve even experienced one or two yourself!

Not only have staffing shortages caused airlines to reduce their schedules already, but mass delays and cancelations have also been occurring pretty much daily. The U.S. Department of Transportation had proposed new rules calling for airlines to provide cash refunds to stranded passengers, and now it looks like we’ve got an update on that proposal.

According to NBC News, the Department of Transportation has told airlines that they are required to come up with “their own improvements for customer service” or the federal agency will move forward with its proposed rule change.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg had previously reprimanded airlines for the increase in flight delays and cancelations and proposed a new rule that would benefit travelers.

At the moment, airlines are required to refund customers if flights are canceled, “significantly” changed, or “significantly” delayed — but there are no clear rules on what a significant delay is.

The proposed rule states states that a flight’s delay is “significant” if the time is off by at least 3 hours for domestic flights or at least 6 hours for international flights.

Now, Buttigieg has said that airlines have to “make it easier for passengers to understand their rights. And you’ve got to support passengers when they experience delays or cancelations.” The DOT has also shared that they are creating a website that will show each airline’s delay and cancelation policies. It will hopefully be rolled out in two weeks.

Airlines have blamed staffing issues and rising fuel costs for many of these issues, but the DOT says airlines are to blame for overscheduling flights and not being clear enough with passengers when things go awry. We’ll continue to keep an eye out for news on the proposed new rule or any updates to major airline policies, so stay tuned!

Looking for more travel news? Find out which airline is cutting thousands of flights this fall here. If you need to book an upcoming trip, click here to see the least reliable airlines. We’ve also got a list of the airlines most likely to bump you from your flight — check it out here.

These Are the Airlines with the MOST Customer Complaints 

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What do you think of this proposed rule change? Let us know in the comments!

The post NEWS: U.S. Federal Government Pressures Airlines to Update Cancelation Policies first appeared on the disney food blog.