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The U.S. Department of Transportation issued two notices Tuesday, impacting both airlines and flyers.
The government agency announced it will now allow airlines to stop flights to up to 5 percent of destinations to “provide temporary relief for the covered carrier.”
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The conditional agreement comes after the DOT has been inundated with requests from multiple carriers for service exemptions as plane travel has decreased more than 94 percent since the COVID-19 outbreak struck. Some airlines have complained they are losing billions of dollars during the crisis.
To remove destinations from a carrier’s roster, the airline must submit a list of the airports it no longer wants to be responsible for, to be reviewed by the Department of Transportation. They have until May 18. (iStock)
The notice expands on waivers that the department has already been granting to airlines to ground some flights during the pandemic.
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To remove destinations from the carrier’s roster, the airline must submit a list of those destinations to the DOT by May 18. The government agency will review requests, while also making sure each U.S. destination “will continue to receive service from at least one covered carrier.”
In addition to allowing airlines to temporarily service fewer destinations, the department is also reminding carriers to revisit customer service policies and provide flexibility around ticket cancelations.
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“The Department has received an unprecedented volume of complaints from passengers and is examining this issue closely to ensure that airlines’ policies and practices conform to DOT’s refund rules,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao. “The Department is asking all airlines to revisit their customer service policies and ensure they are as flexible and considerate as possible to the needs of passengers who face financial hardship during this time.”
This is the DOT's second notice to airlines regarding ticket refunds. According to a press release from the department, the DOT typically receives 1,500 air travel complaints and inquiries from passengers per month. But in March and April 2020, more than 25,000 complaints have been filed.
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The CARES Act approved last month provided for $10 billion to help the airline industry during the coronavirus crisis.