A combination of regulatory threats and competitive pressure in the wake of Southwest Airlines' disastrous holiday meltdown could make it easier for travelers to assert their rights when travel plans go wrong.
Why it matters:There's no more vivid example of how bad things can get than Southwest's recent debacle, which affected nearly 1 million travelers at the height of the holiday travel season.Sen. Richard Blumenthal is re-upping a bill he introduced in 2021 that would essentially ensure that airlines give refunds and compensation for extra costs caused by delayed or canceled flights and lost luggage.
"No amount of financial compensation can fully make up for passengers who missed moments with their families that they can never get back — Christmas, birthdays, weddings, and other special events," Buttigieg wrote in a recent letter to Southwest CEO Bob Jordan.canSouthwest says it has largely resumed its normal schedule, with a 99.1% completion rate over the New Year's weekend.
The airline is still working to reunite customers with their lost luggage and to reimburse passengers caught up in the chaos. In a "goodwill gesture," Southwest is offering 25,000 "Rapid Rewards" points worth $300 toward a future flight — on top of other refunds and reimbursements it has already paid out.For Southwest passengers like Zack Griff, a senior writer at travel site The Points Guy, such payouts can add up.
He got a refund for his canceled Southwest flight, reimbursement for an alternate flight, a $250 travel voucher, plus the 25,000 rewards points, he tells Axios.The Department of Transportation had already been turning up the heat on airlines in the wake of
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