According to Reuters, the Trump’s administration will drop a plan by his predecessor to require airlines to pay passengers cash compensation when U.S. flight disruptions are caused by carriers, in a setback for aviation consumer advocates.
In December, the U.S. Department of Transportation under then-President Joe Biden sought public comment on the rulemaking process about whether airlines should be required to pay $200 to $300 for domestic delays of at least three hours and up to $775 for longer delays. U.S. airlines sharply criticized the proposal first made by Biden in May 2023.
With this withdrawal, airlines only are required to compensate passengers for cancelled flights. This is outside the developing norm where passengers are compensated for delays in the European Union, Canada, Brazil and Great Britain.
The Trump Administration gave their typical response about streamlining regulations and fostering growth. Airlines claim these rule would have raised prices. This does not seem to be the case elsewhere but once you have the corporate jargon, you go with it.
In another blow to passenger rights, the Transportation Department also disclosed that it is considering rescinding regulations issued under Biden in April 2024 that required airlines and ticket agents to disclose service fees alongside airfares to help consumers avoid unnecessary or unexpected fees. The requirement was put on hold by the court pending an industry legal challenge. The disclosure of these potential junk fees was another bane of many travelers’ existence.
For those of you who do not remember, airlines used to keep its passengers on the planes during storms or delays without regard to their passengers. Then one time, JetBlue stranded their passengers on a plan for 7 hours without food, water or functioning restrooms. There was such an uproar that eventually we go the Passenger Bill of Rights to address this.
It is a sad day when passenger rights continue to be diminished. I do not know how any representative of an airline can say with a straight face that they are servicing their clientele well. They are continued to be incented to provide less and less customer service which drives their short-term profits. If any time existed for some government oversight this is it.