To expand on yesterdays post, it seems to me that when you buy a ticket from a commercial airline, you are establishing a contract with them that states:

We will transport you from this location, at this time, to this destination at this time, for X amount of money, up front. We both understand that emergencies and weather could affect this, but otherwise it our responsibility to fulfill this agreement.

You then plan your life around this contract. If the airline fails to perform as specified, we should be able to sue them. A whole new industry of law firms would pop up, specifically to assist travelers to sue the airlines for damages.

If they over schedule, overbook, or push their people too hard such that things fall apart and your flight is delayed significantly, or worse cancelled completely, they need to be held accountable.

The air traffic controller shortage issue is bullshit. This is a federal agency and the country needs to divert a few billions from the money going to Ukraine, and fix it!

Here's the kicker: you can buy expensive insurance to protect you, if the airlines or the feds blow it. This ripoff industry needs to go away, you shouldn't need it.

We need a new federal law protecting fliers from airline breach of contract!