Flight Delay and Cancellation Act

Full Title:
Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act

Summary#

This bill would make the Department of Transportation (DOT) create rules that make airlines pay passengers and cover basic costs when flights are cancelled or significantly delayed and the carrier is at fault. It requires the FAA Administrator to form an Aviation Rulemaking Committee within 90 days to study how to put these rules in place. The Committee must report back within 12 months with recommendations on cash payments, free rebooking, reimbursements for meals, hotel, and transportation, and processes for deciding when a carrier is at fault and for paying claims.

The bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking after the Committee reports. The Secretary must issue an interim final rule no later than 18 months after the bill becomes law. The interim rule must, at a minimum, require carriers to provide $750 cash to passengers for carrier-attributable cancellations or delays, free rebooking or alternate transportation, meal or meal credit, and for overnight disruptions, hotel lodging and ground transportation. The interim rule is set to be effective starting 2 years after the date of enactment and to remain effective until the final rule takes effect. The bill also requires DOT to send progress reports to Congress every 6 months until the final rule is issued. It amends a 2024 FAA provision by striking a subsection and clarifies that the term "air carrier" includes foreign air carriers.

What it means for you#

  • Passengers on flights cancelled or significantly delayed because of the airline could be eligible for cash payments, free rebooking, and reimbursement for meals, hotel, and ground transportation under the rules the DOT would write.
  • The bill sets specific interim consumer protections, including a $750 cash payment for affected passengers and required rebooking and accommodations for overnight disruptions.
  • The new rules would take effect in stages: the FAA must set up a committee quickly, the DOT will propose rules after the committee report, and the interim protections would become effective about 2 years after enactment until final rules replace them.

Expenses#

  • The bill specifies amounts carriers must pay passengers in certain situations (for example, $750 under the interim rule). It also requires carriers to pay for meals, hotel lodging, and ground transportation in some cases.
  • No publicly available information on the total cost to airlines or any estimated budgetary impact on the federal government is included in the bill text or metadata provided.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.