Comment from Benjamin Edelman
Benjamin EdelmanOtherBusiness
Summary: American Airlines, Inc. raises a regulatory question regarding whether carriers should be allowed to unilaterally cancel and refund tickets when withdrawing service from a city, specifically in the context of Joint Business Venture (JBV) partners and "metal neutrality" agreements. The comment seeks clarification on passenger reaccommodations when service is maintained through partners with varying antitrust statuses.
Regardless of any resolution between the individual complainant and the carrier, the complaint raises a general question the DOT should consider. When a carrier withdraws service from a city, but maintains service via antitrust-immunized JBV partners with which it has promised to provide "metal neutrality" in exchange for significant regulatory benefits, may the carrier unilaterally cancel and refund ticketed and confirmed travel, rather than reaccommodate the passenger on a partner? What if the airline has service via other partners, but not antitrust-immunized or JBV?