| As Ohioans continue to struggle under an affordability crisis that only seems to get worse and worse under House Republicans, Congresswoman Emilia Sykes is leading the charge to bring real relief to working families.
Congresswoman Sykes’ cost-saving Airline Passenger Compensation Act would require airline companies to compensate passengers for major flight delays, in addition to providing rebooking services.
The legislation comes in direct response to President Donald Trump’s rollback of consumer protections at the behest of corporate lobbyists. Sykes’ bill would reinstitute these reforms to help everyday Americans keep more in their pocketbooks.
Read more about the Congresswoman’s bill below:
Cleveland.com: Rep. Emilia Sykes bill could force airlines to pay hundreds of dollars for flight delays
- U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes has introduced legislation that would codify a Biden administration proposal requiring airlines to compensate passengers for significant delays and cancellations, which the Trump administration rescinded.
- The Airline Passenger Compensation Act, co-led by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen of Washington and Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona, would require airlines to pay passengers $300 for delays of three to nine hours and $775 for delays of nine hours or more when disruptions are caused by the airline. The measure also mandates free rebooking on the next available flight.
- “Passengers should not have to bear the financial and personal burden when airlines fail to deliver the service they sell,” said a statement from Sykes, who serves as Vice Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “This bill ensures travelers are compensated fairly and can reach their destinations without additional stress or cost.”
- The Akron Democrat’s legislation directly responds to the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on airline passenger rights that the Biden-era Department of Transportation had initiated. In May 2023, then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that DOT planned to launch rulemaking “aimed at requiring airlines to provide compensation and cover expenses for amenities such as meals, hotels, and rebooking when airlines are responsible for stranding passengers.”
- Government Accountability Office data show that between July 2021 and April 2022, over 15 million passengers were potentially affected by cancellations, and over 116 million passengers experienced delays, according to Sykes’ office. U.S. airline data for 2022 and 2023 show that more than 60% of domestic delays of three hours or longer were caused by the airlines themselves, according to Sykes.
- Currently, no large U.S. airline guarantees cash compensation for significant flight disruptions, though airlines must provide refunds for canceled flights.
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