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With everything going on in the world, this is Bernie Sanders focus:

Bucky

Bucky

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Vermont Business Magazine As skyrocketing flight delays, cancellations, and outrageously high prices and hidden fees are leaving passengers and crew members frustrated, broke, and stranded, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Tuesday sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging immediate action to protect the rights of airline passengers and workers.

Sanders wrote, “Let’s be clear. During the pandemic, when air travel came to a near halt, US taxpayers came to the rescue and gave $54 billion to the airline industry. The top eight airlines alone received nearly $50 billion in taxpayer assistance from the federal government. Given all of the generous taxpayer support that has been provided to the airline industry, all of us have a responsibility to make sure that passengers and crew members are treated with respect, not contempt.”

In the letter, Sanders lays out specific and urgent steps Sec. Buttigieg should take to protect passengers and crew members and substantially reduce cancellations and delays, including requiring airlines to promptly refund passengers for flights that have been delayed over an hour; imposing fines on airlines for flights that are delayed more than two hours; and imposing fines on airlines for scheduling flights that they are unable to properly staff.
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Sanders urges Buttigieg to protect rights of airline passengers and workers amidst skyrocketing delays | Vermont Business Magazine

vermontbiz.com vermontbiz.com

What a terrible idea that has no chance of going through.
 
Bucky said:

Sanders urges Buttigieg to protect rights of airline passengers and workers amidst skyrocketing delays | Vermont Business Magazine

vermontbiz.com vermontbiz.com

What a terrible idea that has no chance of going through.
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1. "including requiring airlines to promptly refund passengers for flights that have been delayed over an hour"

2. "imposing fines on airlines for flights that are delayed more than two hours"

3. "and imposing fines on airlines for scheduling flights that they are unable to properly staff."

What specifically do you think is "terrible" in the above? I think those are all reasonable requests, especially #3 which discourages a business practice that is outright abusive to both staff and customers.
 
Elmo said:
1. "including requiring airlines to promptly refund passengers for flights that have been delayed over an hour"

2. "imposing fines on airlines for flights that are delayed more than two hours"

3. "and imposing fines on airlines for scheduling flights that they are unable to properly staff."

What specifically do you think is "terrible" in the above? I think those are all reasonable requests, especially #3 which discourages a business practice that is outright abusive to both staff and customers.
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Do you want the airlines to raise the price of tickets higher?

Most airlines here are understaffed. It isn't just a domestic issue, Europe is worse.

Let's just absolutely kill airline travel demand so Mr. Sanders can vote for another rescue plan to fund these airlines.
 
I can understand and respect the underlying frustration. Bernie makes some decent points. I just worry of the unintended consequences from such a plan. IMO it would cause airlines to reduce flights In order to avoid any possible fines from cancellations or even worse come up with a more inconvenient workaround that would be legal.

The inconvenience of air travel and the horror stories from friends and family who have tried to travel in the last few months is one reason Ms.Chill and I changed vacation plans this year
 
Chillfolks said:
I can understand and respect the underlying frustration. Bernie makes some decent points. I just worry of the unintended consequences from such a plan. IMO it would cause airlines to reduce flights In order to avoid any possible fines from cancellations or even worse come up with a more inconvenient workaround that would be legal.

The inconvenience of air travel and the horror stories from friends and family who have tried to travel in the last few months is one reason Ms.Chill and I changed vacation plans this year
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Let me ask you this: Are you surprised?

The time to travel was six months to a year ago.
 
Bucky said:
Do you want the airlines to raise the price of tickets higher?

Most airlines here are understaffed. It isn't just a domestic issue, Europe is worse.

Let's just absolutely kill airline travel demand so Mr. Sanders can vote for another rescue plan to fund these airlines.
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They're understaffed because they have abused and underpaid their employees for decades. Those are problems they chose not to solve. Instead, they spent years using profits on stock buybacks, and then billions of our money to prop up the resulting rickety house of cards.

Obviously, your solution of just asking them to behave isn't working.
 
Bucky said:
Do you want the airlines to raise the price of tickets higher?
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You might as well be arguing that we can't get rid of child labor because it will raise prices.

Do I want basic protections for customers and employees even if that means airlines have to raise prices since they aren't cutting corners and working employees to the bone? Yes. yes I do.
 
Elmo said:
They're understaffed because they have abused and underpaid their employees for decades. Those are problems they chose not to solve. Instead, they spent years using profits on stock buybacks, and then billions of our money to prop up the resulting rickety house of cards.

Obviously, your solution of just asking them to behave isn't working.
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It was people like Benrie Sanders that wanted to bail out these terrible companies.
 
Nomad4Ever said:
You might as well be arguing that we can't get rid of child labor because it will raise prices.

Do I want basic protections for customers and employees even if that means airlines have to raise prices since they aren't cutting corners and working employees to the bone? Yes. yes I do.
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I could be wrong, but there is something called travel insurance.
 
Superfly said:
Sounds like someone who never flies.

"Doesn't ever happen to me, so IDGAF about anyone else."
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I had to overnight in the Chicago Airport baggage terminal a couple of months back due to delays. I wouldn't mind a refund.
 
Bucky said:
I could be wrong, but there is something called travel insurance.
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How does that help the airline employees who are being abused?
 
Bucky said:
It was people like Benrie Sanders that wanted to bail out these terrible companies.
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The vote was 96-0 in the Senate for the bailout. Almost none of those votes came from "people like Bernie Sanders"

Do you want an airline industry or not? Because so far your only criticism of the proposal is that it might make tickets slightly more expensive. Certainly less drastic of an effect than letting the entire industry die. Pick a lane.

And for the record, I would probably have voted against the bailout. But since these companies are still here, we might as well exert some leverage to make them slightly less shitty.
 
Nomad4Ever said:
How does that help the airline employees who are being abused?
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Those employees need to talk to their union rep. You act like these people work in a chinese factory.
 
Bucky said:
I could be wrong, but there is something called travel insurance.
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Travel insurance doesn't magically get you to your important event on time, or return all the time wasted in an airport. It's not a solution to anything.
 
tacomancer said:
I had to overnight in the Chicago Airport baggage terminal a couple of months back due to delays. I wouldn't mind a refund.
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I see nothing wrong with holding their feet to the fire. Then, unlike Bucky, I'm not looking for something to be pissed about. You look long enough, you'll find something.
 
mrjurrs said:
So government assistance when the corporation is in trouble, but none to the people 'abused' by the corporation? Airlines sold tickets to flights they knew they didn't have pilots to fly and that's okay with you? Sounds a bit like fraud to me.
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That is nothing new
 
mrjurrs said:
So government assistance when the corporation is in trouble, but none to the people 'abused' by the corporation? Airlines sold tickets to flights they knew they didn't have pilots to fly and that's okay with you? Sounds a bit like fraud to me.
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It is called overbooking. Happens all the time, not just in the airline industry but in others as well.

What if everyone with a planet fitness subscription went to the gym on the same day?
 
Bucky said:
It is called overbooking. Happens all the time, not just in the airline industry but in others as well.

What if everyone with a planet fitness subscription went to the gym on the same day?
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Right, and overbooking has previously resulted in 100's of flights from a variety of airlines being cancelled? Overbooking results in passengers being left, not flights being cancelled.

www.nbcnews.com

Airlines cancel hundreds of flights before summer travel season because of pilot shortage

“Most airlines are simply not going to be able to realize their capacity plans," United Airlines' CEO said in April.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com
 
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