New York City Insider: Espaillat Applauds USDOT Decision to Strengthen Protections for Airline Consumers.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release August 3, 2022

Espaillat Applauds USDOT Decision to Strengthen Protections for Airline Consumers.   NEW YORK, NY – Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Transportation’s proposal to adopt new rules that would significantly strengthen protections for consumers seeking refunds for airline tickets. Since early 2020, the Department has received a flood of air travel service complaints from consumers with non-refundable tickets who did not travel because airlines canceled or significantly changed their flights or because the consumers decided not to fly for pandemic-related reasons such as health concerns. Yesterday, Reps. Espaillat and Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) sent a letter to DOT urging the agency prioritize consumer refunds. “I commend Secretary Buttigieg and the Department of Transportation on this latest action to protect airline consumers,” said Rep. Espaillat.  “I have heard firsthand complaints of nightmare experiences shared by my constituents and urged the department to ensure greater protections and accountability that put consumers first, especially as summer travel continues and we enter holiday travel just around the corner. With these proposed rule changes, consumers can feel confident that they will now have the ability to receive refunds for cancellations that occur at no fault of their own. I commend the Department for putting the People first over profit of the airlines.” “When Americans buy an airline ticket, they should get to their destination safely, reliably, and affordably,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This new proposed rule would protect the rights of travelers and help ensure they get the timely refunds they deserve from the airlines.” Following Espaillat’s request, the Department proposes that significant changes to a flight would include:  *     Changes that affect the departure and/or arrival times by three hours or more for a domestic flight or six hours or more for an international flight; *     Changes to the departure or arrival airport; *     Changes that increase the number of connections in the itinerary; and  *     Changes to the type of aircraft flown if it causes a significant downgrade in the air travel experience or amenities available onboard the flight. The Department encourages members of the public and interested parties to attend a virtual public meeting of the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee focusing on this rulemaking scheduled for August 22, 2022, and to submit comments on this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NRPM). Comments must be received within 90 days of the date the notice is published in the Federal Register. The NPRM can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news and at regulations.gov, docket number DOT-OST-2022-0089. Requests to attend the meeting must be submitted to https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_e_B-NtXfT8KlqgoNCH3f7w.  Additional information on this public meeting (including how to make requests to make remarks during the meeting) is available at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news.    For information about airline passenger rights, as well as DOT’s rules, guidance and orders, the Department’s aviation consumer website can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer.   Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/