{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/kelly-blumenthal-markey-introduce-legislation-to-protect-airline-passengers-from-flight-cancellations-and-delays/", "Kelly, Blumenthal, Markey Introduce Legislation to Protect Airline Passengers from Flight Cancellations and Delays", "2025-12-04", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "AZ", "Mark Kelly", "K000377", "www.kelly.senate.gov", "markkelly", "https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "Kelly\u2019s legislation will protect consumers and hold airlines accountable\n\nRead more about the bill here\n\nToday, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, new legislation that will protect passengers by requiring airlines to provide cash compensation and free rebooking for passengers facing significant delays or cancellations caused by the airline. The bill would also direct the Department of Transportation (DOT) to mandate airlines reimburse passengers for hotels, meals, and transportation to lodging as a result of flight disruptions, regardless of the cause of the delay.\n\nThe Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act comes in response to the Trump administration\u2019s cancellation of a popular consumer protection rule in the making that would have required airlines to compensate passengers for preventable travel cancellations or delays. It is also cosponsored by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-WA).\n\n\u201cFlying is already stressful and expensive. Airlines have to be accountable when they cost the American people money and travelers are left stranded,\u201d said Kelly. \u201cWe\u2019re working to make sure that passengers are protected so that cancellations and delays don\u2019t cost them money out of their own pockets.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis commonsense legislation holds airlines accountable and properly compensates passengers when their flight is delayed or cancelled\u2014protecting Americans from losing their hard-earned paychecks to flight disruptions beyond their control and alleviating the burden of chaotic travel days. The Trump Administration\u2019s senseless backtracking on airline passenger protections only serves the airline industry, padding their pocketbooks and leaving Americans stranded without help. With the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, we put the traveling public first and bolster cost-saving consumer protections,\u201d said Blumenthal.\n\n\u201cAirlines that cancel and significantly delay flights due to their own mistakes can costs flyers thousands of dollars in secondary costs and lost income. In other words, the traveling public covers the costs of the airlines\u2019 mistakes,\u201d said Markey. \u201cInstead of protecting family budgets, the Trump administration is choosing to protect the airlines\u2019 bottom line. I\u2019m proud to partner with Senator Kelly and Senator Blumenthal to introduce the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, an important step to hold airlines accountable, enact cost-saving protections, and prioritize consumers instead of CEO billionaires and corporations at the top of the airline industry.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmerican consumers deserve to have protections, especially when it comes to expensive flights. This Administration has made their agenda clear: protect billionaires and corporations over hardworking Americans. That agenda is wrong. We need to pass the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act so Marylanders \u2013 and airline passengers across the country \u2013 can receive cash compensation for their delayed or cancelled flights,\u201d said Alsobrooks.\n\n\u201cAmid record cancellations, delays, and safety concerns at airports across the country, travelers deserve compensation for these disruptions to their lives,\u201d said Bennet. \u201cThe Trump Administration\u2019s decision to undo previous consumer protections only worsens the chaos travelers are experiencing. This legislation would reinstate these protections and put travelers\u2019 wellbeing over the airline industry\u2019s bottom line.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen airline delays and cancellations leave us hanging, passengers shouldn\u2019t be forced to pay the price,\u201d said Fetterman. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this commonsense legislation to reinstate critical consumer protections for Pennsylvanians and airline passengers across the nation.\u201d\n\n\u201cRight before millions of Americans began traveling for the holidays this year, Trump\u2019s transportation department ripped up the rule that forced airlines to compensate passengers when flights are delayed or cancelled. The Trump administration is once again siding with airline CEOs instead of everyday working families. I\u2019m proud to back this legislation so families aren\u2019t left stranded with the bill when airlines screw up,\u201d said Gallego.\n\n\u201cThe Trump Administration\u2019s decision to abandon commonsense consumer protections and force passengers to pay the price for flight delays and cancellations they didn\u2019t cause is a major giveaway to the big corporations at the expense of everyone else. This legislation will put travelers first and ensure they get the reimbursements and accommodations they deserve when their flights are disrupted,\u201d said Van Hollen.\n\n\u201cFrom Day One, President Trump has made it clear that he doesn\u2019t care about consumers. His decision to scrap a proposal to hold airlines accountable for delays is the latest example. Passengers impacted by delays and cancellations should get the compensation they deserve,\u201d said Welch. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join this legislation which will do just that.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe biggest winners under Donald Trump\u2019s presidency are corporations and the ultra-rich, and airlines are no exception. On top of his costly government shutdown that left travelers hamstrung and airports woefully understaffed by safety and air traffic controllers, now Trump is going out of his way to make flying more expensive for travelers. This legislation would restore much-needed consumer protections and financial relief during one of the busiest holiday travel seasons on record,\u201d said Wyden.\n\nSee what consumer and air traveler advocates are saying in support of the legislation:\n\n\u201cDelays and cancellations are far and away the Number 1 complaint of airline passengers. Most are due to causes within airline control such as lack of airworthy equipment, flight personnel or not enough paying passengers, not weather or air traffic control. FlyersRights, the largest airline passenger organization, believes delay compensation is essential to improve air travel reliability and endorses the subject legislation. Delay compensation is the norm outside the US. Recent studies show major increases in lengthy delays is accelerating,\u201d said FlyersRights President Paul Hudson.\n\n\u201cAt a time when this DOT appears to be abandoning the public, it\u2019s critical for Congress to step up,\u201d said National Consumers League Senior Public Policy Manager Eden Iscil. \u201cThis bill would bring consumer protections for flying into the 21st Century and in line with those found in many international jurisdictions. There\u2019s no reason an American airline should provide better care for its passengers when departing from Frankfurt while still denying those same basic accommodations for flights out of Phoenix.\u201d\n\nUnder the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, the DOT would be required to issue regulations that:\n\nRequire the DOT to establish an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) that includes consumer protection groups to develop recommendations for how to implement rules that would require air carriers to provide consumers experiencing significant flight disruptions cash compensation, free rebooking, and reimbursements for passenger care needs such as meals, lodging for overnight delays, and transportation to and from lodging;\n\nRequire the ARC to develop recommendations for passenger compensation in alignment with foreign standards, including the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) Air Passenger Protection Regulations and Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council;\n\nSet a baseline standard of compensation of at least $300 for a delay of more than 3 hours but less than 6 hours; and at least $600 for a delay of 6 hours or more;\n\nDirect DOT to undertake a rulemaking to implement the ARC recommendations within 90 days after the ARC report is submitted; and\n\nEstablish a stricter interim final rule that will go into effect 18 months after the bill is enacted, to prevent DOT from dragging its feet and ensuring the rulemaking takes place.\n\nBackground:\n\nOn November 15, 2025, the Trump administration officially withdrew a planned Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) that the previous Administration\u2019s Department of Transportation had initiated in December 2024 to require airlines to compensate passengers and cover their expenses for lengthy delays or cancellations caused by carriers.\n\nThe ANPRM is the first part of the federal rulemaking process, meant to solicit public comment on the policies proposed by the agency. This ANPRM sought public comment on a rulemaking to \u201censure consumers experiencing significant flight disruptions are taken care of and protected from financial losses.\u201d\n\nThe Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act builds on the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 language and the proposed Biden-era ANPRM to expand consumer protections for impacted air passengers. This bill requires that the rulemaking process be restarted and that the FAA Reauthorization Language be implemented by establishing an Aviation Rulemaking Committee to develop recommendations to implement the requirements of the FAA Reauthorization Act and expand those recommendations to include reimbursement in the form of cash compensation and free rebooking. If the DOT fails to do so, the bill establishes an interim final rule with the force of law that establishes various minimum standards as outlined above.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/kelly-blumenthal-markey-introduce-legislation-to-protect-airline-passengers-from-flight-cancellations-and-delays/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.788555946201086, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}