{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.welch.senate.gov/ahead-of-holiday-travel-season-welch-joins-legislation-to-protect-airline-passengers-from-flight-cancellations-and-delays/", "Ahead of Holiday Travel Season, Welch Joins Legislation to Protect Airline Passengers from Flight Cancellations and Delays", "2025-12-09", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Ahead of the holiday travel season, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and 13 Senators in introducing the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, legislation to protect passengers by requiring airlines to provide cash compensation and free rebooking for passengers facing significant delays or cancellations caused by the airline. The Senators\u2019 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 legislation 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.\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 Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join this legislation which will do just that.\u201d\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 Senator 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 Senator 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 Senator 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\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. The 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\nUnder the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, the DOT would be required to issue regulations that:\n\nEstablish 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\nThe bill is cosponsored by Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\nLearn more about the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 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.welch.senate.gov/ahead-of-holiday-travel-season-welch-joins-legislation-to-protect-airline-passengers-from-flight-cancellations-and-delays/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8891250472515821, "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"}