Voters Blame Airline Companies for Holiday Season Cancellations
By Sabrina Jacobs and Natasha Chisholm
Over the holidays, flight cancellations and delays affected travel plans for millions of Americans, creating chaos during an extremely busy travel window. People traveling on Southwest Airlines were particularly affected, with over 16,700 of its flights canceled from December 21-31. Customers were frustrated and dismayed by the cancellations, which prevented many from going home for the holidays and left numerous vacations in shambles. The situation prompted the Biden Administration and the Department of Transportation to investigate what caused the airlines to fail and to try to ensure that they are held accountable.
Data for Progress finds 57 percent of likely voters place blame on U.S. airline companies, such as United and Southwest, for the cancellations. This includes 70 percent of Democrats, 56 percent of Independents, and 45 percent of Republicans. Only 18 percent of voters blame Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Department of Transportation, while 7 percent blame the Democratic Party and 4 percent blame the Republican Party.
In order to protect customers affected by future delays or cancellations, the Department of Transportation has proposed a policy requiring airlines to refund their customers for affected flights. Data for Progress finds voters strongly support requiring airlines to refund customers for the following reasons:
Seventy-nine percent of voters support refunds for flight cancellations.
Seventy percent of voters support refunds for changes to the departure or arrival airport.
Sixty-eight percent of voters also support refunds when the departure or arrival time is delayed by three or more hours.
Voters support refunds if an airline adds an extra layover (67 percent) or switches the flight to a lower-quality type of plane (62 percent).
It’s crucial that airlines face accountability for continued flight cancellations and delays. Voters clearly agree that offering refunds for affected flights is a way that companies can start making amends, helping ensure that airlines are truly held accountable for disrupted travel plans.
Sabrina Jacobs (@bri_jacobs) is a staff writer at Data for Progress.
Natasha Chisholm is a political intern at Data for Progress.