After Summer of Flight Delays and Cancellations, Feds Issue an Ultimatum to Airlines

After a punishing summer for air travelers who have seen delayed and canceled flights, the Department of Transportation is warning airlines that they need to come up with their own improvements for customer service or the agency will proceed with a plan to order a rule change.  The department is also creating a website, eyed for a launch two weeks from now, that it hopes will easily show each airline’s policies regarding cancellations and delays. In the first six months of the year, 24% of U.S. flights have been delayed, and 3.2% have been canceled, according to Transportation Department data. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the travel disruptions unacceptable. “The message to the airlines is that you’ve got to make it easier for passengers to understand their rights. And you’ve got to support passengers when they experience delays or cancellations,” he said in an interview that aired Friday on NBC’s “TODAY.” Read the full story on NBCNews.com More Travel Disruption Coverage: Business Jun 14 It's a Pain to Fly These Days. The FAA and Airlines Are Trying to Fix That Business Aug 10 Frustrated Travelers Tired of Waiting for Airline Refunds: ‘I'm Not in the Business of Giving Interest-Free Loans to Billion-Dollar Companies'

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