Deregulation got us cheap flights. It also got us this travel nightmare
Passengers are missing flights, unable to rebook passage to visit with friends and loved ones. Thousands of pieces of luggage remain strewn about airport lobbies. Airline and airport employees still struggle with the anger and frustration of customers.
Thousands of flights, particularly those connected with Southwest Airlines, have been canceled. Southwest is the biggest carrier by far at Kansas City International Airport, and it has faced its share of chaos.
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If a flight is canceled, travelers are entitled to refunds. However, delays — even long ones — are a different issue. “Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers waiting at the airport; there are no federal requirements,” the U.S. Department of Transportation says on its website. “Airlines have a lot of discretion in how they respond to problems,” DOT says. “While you do have certain rights as a passenger, your demands for compensation will probably be subject to negotiation.”
That compensation should, in part, be a full apology for the debacle, and a complete investigation into what went wrong.
The Christmas weekend is a naturally heavy-travel period, which provides a partial explanation. At the same time, the airlines could not have been unaware of travel demand: Almost all tickets are purchased in advance. If flights were deliberately overbooked, the public should know.
Analysts say Southwest may be particularly vulnerable to disruptions. The airline’s apparent reluctance to reschedule fliers on competing airlines may have played a part as well.
The Department of Transportation said Monday it will look into Southwest’s decision-making. “The Department will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan,” the department said in a tweet.
Anyone who had to rent a hotel room, or car, because of any airline’s poor planning or response should be fully compensated.
There are a few caveats. The cost to travelers over the past week is critical, but it’s less important than safety. No lives should ever be risked in order to meet a travel schedule. It’s possible some problems were caused by prudence.
At the same time, airlines should show their plans for such contingencies. Did Southwest’s aggressive scheduling contribute to the debacle? Should the airline have intervened sooner? Are backup plans adequate? Has the airline failed to modernize, as its unions have alleged?
Do airlines need to improve customer relations? Should crisis plans be revised, and more people hired? Should airports do more to prepare for such events, and provide more services for stranded passengers?
In all of this, passengers will look to the federal government for answers. They should get them. At the same time, the nation decided decades ago to essentially deregulate air travel, making it harder for the government to oversee airlines’ decision-making.
Deregulation made flying cheaper. It helped create alternatives for travelers, including Southwest Airlines. It made service to big cities easier and more convenient.
But the concentration on the bottom line, rather than meeting public service requirements, has diminished the quality of air travel.
