Air travel in the summer is a “total mess” right now. Who is to blame?

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Long queues. Delays. Cancellations. Limited refunds.

Air travel in the United States is currently in dire straits, with Southwest and American Airlines both being criticized for canceling hundreds of flights and relying on various excuses ranging from weather to labor shortages to computer problems.

Bill McGee, aviation and travel advisor for Consumer Reports’ defense arm, said most of the blame lies with one particular group.

“The bulk of the blame lies with the airline industry and it is important to remember the context,” he said. “Last year, airlines received nearly $ 50 billion in bailouts from taxpayers, and there was no provision in bills for consumer protection relief like guaranteed refunds, but there is had provisions on the airlines to ensure they were not under staffed, which of course is happening right now. The airline industry has really failed miserably here. “

Most airlines are still grappling with labor shortages following massive layoffs during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. While some are stepping up efforts to return to a level of staff that would allow normal service, most industry experts are skeptical of the problem. will be corrected over the summer.

McGee believes airlines have had plenty of time to prepare for the summer travel season.

“Airlines could see for months and months that vaccinations were increasing and people would be interested in flying again,” he said. “It’s really no surprise that it’s summer now and people can’t wait to go back, and the airline industry has always been caught off guard. It’s a total mess and frankly, they let us all down, especially when they took so much bailout money. “

A March 2021 New York Times analysis found that airline executives and investors were the main beneficiaries of the Congressional bailout money. Although the relief money has been credited with keeping 75,000 aviation workers in the industry, that figure translates into about $ 300,000 in relief funds per employee – which is a number well above the figure. Average annual salary range for customer service agents and flight attendants ($ 50,000 to $ 70,000).

In other words, for as much money the airline industry received, more workers should have remained employed.

Times analysis reveals that the main use of the money was to boost airline stock prices, as the authors write, “We socialized the losses of the airline industry and largely privatized the gains. “. Former Obama administration called money the “ultimate corporate welfare,” and further analysis from Open Secrets found the airline industry spent $ 25 million to lobby lawmakers in 2020 .

While some of the blame lies with Congress, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is the only regulator that can take action against airlines.

McGee pointed out that the airline industry is unique because it is one of a small number of industries across the country that can only be regulated by the federal government. Unlike other tourism industries, such as hotels, airlines cannot be controlled by state legislatures or courts, requiring congressional or executive oversight.

The DOT, currently headed by Secretary Pete Buttigieg, has the power to enforce various consumer protection laws passed by Congress. McGee believes that in order to improve this summer’s fiasco, the department should do more to guarantee refunds to clients. It’s a long-standing DOT rule that if an airline – and not the passenger – cancels a flight, they must provide a refund.

During the first months of the pandemic, the DOT sent frequent warnings to airlines that they had to follow reimbursement rules. No such warning was issued this summer and lawmakers called on Buttigieg to do more.

“We believe the DOT must take strong action to address these complaints and ensure the return of travelers’ money,” read a letter from Democrats Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal as well as Representatives Chuy García and Steve Cohen. “At a minimum, it is imperative that DOT not allow flight credits related to the pandemic to expire.”

Refunds are great, of course, but they won’t completely solve the underlying problem of airlines failing to properly plan a high-demand summer travel season.

McGee said he hopes the current situation prompts more serious regulatory action against the airline industry.

“Airline executives are the greatest socialists of all because they have no problem taking billions and billions of taxpayer dollars, but they don’t want us to get involved in how they are spent. so they get the best of both worlds, ”he said. “We need to have a much larger discussion in Congress, in the White House at the Department of Transportation, in the media and with us as consumers about the state of the US airline industry. They fail over and over again with no repercussions. “

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