UNITED STATES - Airline lobbyists are allegedly trying to pressure regulators to abandon the protections consumers currently have, which if the big carriers get their way, flyers may never see a cash refund again or be able to decipher the cost of baggage fees.
The nation's largest airlines are allegedly quietly asking the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to eradicate every meaningful consumer protection flyers have, according to a report by Frommers.
The breadth of the airlines' regulatory "wish list" is disturbing, and this is despite the U.S. already lagging behind dozens of other countries on passenger rights.
On April 2, DOT opened a docket that was seeking comments through May 5 on "Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementation of the President's 'Department of Government Efficiency' Deregulatory Agenda."
There was no press release and virtually no media attention, but within the airline industry, that action sounded an alarm.
The industry group Airlines for America (A4A) filed 93 pages of suggestions for the Trump administration on behalf of the biggest and most powerful carriers. A4A represents the big carriers, not the low-fare airlines that compete with them.
The group reportedly spent $5.7 million in 2024 lobbying for the largest carriers, including the Big Three: American, Delta, and United, along with Southwest, Alaska-Hawaiian, and JetBlue.
Sean Duffy, the DOT secretary, reportedly lobbied in the private sector for the same Big Three in 2020. Buried in the 93 pages submitted to the DOT is an endless list of horrible ideas.
One highlights that consumers will have no idea which airline has the most complaints lodged against them, or how many flights are delayed. That is what A4A wants.
A4A wants to muzzle the DOTs monthly Air Travel Consumer Report, which is basically the only independent yardstick for industry performance statistics such as flight delays, cancellations, consumer complaints, mishandled baggage, bumping, and problem related to the disabled and animals.
"To save the American taxpayer from unnecessary costs and bureaucracy, the DOT should limit this report to that information required by statute," A4A reportedly said. A4A also wants to abandon the cash refund rules for cancelled or significantly delayed flights.
In April 2024, the DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the biggest win for airline passengers in a generation: mandatory refunds for flights that are long-delayed or cancelled.
However, A4A calls this "a gross example of Federal overreach," despite bipartisan support from Congress for the same rules in the 2024 FAA Reauthorizations Act.
The airlines also want to allegedly avoid warning consumers about extra fees, too.
Buttigieg also took long needed action on providing junk fee transparency, with the simple goal of making sure you have full fare and fee data when you start booking.
In 2024, A4A and individual member airlines promptly sued DOT over this action, a suit that's still pending.
They essentially want to spend millions of dollars to prevent consumers from knowing how much their trip will cost. A4A also calls for ending the fair family seating policy.
For a decade now, the big airlines have fought against multiple mandates from Congress and the DOT that say the airlines cannot charge families extra money to sit with their kids under the age of 13.
A4A is now calling for abandoning the Buttigieg guidance on family seating, despite DOT reporting that A4A members Delta, Southwest, and United still do not guarantee adjacent seats at no extra cost. A4A wants to hide economy class seat size information.
They want to force disabled passengers to notify airlines in advance of their travel plans, thus violating the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of interstate travel as a fundamental right.
A4A wants Trump's staff to terminate the DOT's Memoranda of Understanding with state attorneys general to jointly address airline passenger complaints. All 93 pages of the government filing reportedly contain more proposals as bad as the ones mentioned above.
The deadline for public comment on the filing has already passed, but American Economic Liberties Project, along with other consumer advocates, will be filing comments with the DOT's consumer protection staff. If the big airlines get their way, consumer protections will vanish and they will operate under new levels of secrecy.
On September 4, the White House announced that it would not enforce the rule that requires carriers to pay compensation to passengers for flight disruptions caused by the airlines, a right that is enjoyed by travelers in many other countries.
On the same day, the DOT announced 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 expected fees."
The nation's largest airlines are allegedly quietly asking the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to eradicate every meaningful consumer protection flyers have, according to a report by Frommers.
The breadth of the airlines' regulatory "wish list" is disturbing, and this is despite the U.S. already lagging behind dozens of other countries on passenger rights.
On April 2, DOT opened a docket that was seeking comments through May 5 on "Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementation of the President's 'Department of Government Efficiency' Deregulatory Agenda."
There was no press release and virtually no media attention, but within the airline industry, that action sounded an alarm.
The industry group Airlines for America (A4A) filed 93 pages of suggestions for the Trump administration on behalf of the biggest and most powerful carriers. A4A represents the big carriers, not the low-fare airlines that compete with them.
The group reportedly spent $5.7 million in 2024 lobbying for the largest carriers, including the Big Three: American, Delta, and United, along with Southwest, Alaska-Hawaiian, and JetBlue.
Sean Duffy, the DOT secretary, reportedly lobbied in the private sector for the same Big Three in 2020. Buried in the 93 pages submitted to the DOT is an endless list of horrible ideas.
One highlights that consumers will have no idea which airline has the most complaints lodged against them, or how many flights are delayed. That is what A4A wants.
A4A wants to muzzle the DOTs monthly Air Travel Consumer Report, which is basically the only independent yardstick for industry performance statistics such as flight delays, cancellations, consumer complaints, mishandled baggage, bumping, and problem related to the disabled and animals.
"To save the American taxpayer from unnecessary costs and bureaucracy, the DOT should limit this report to that information required by statute," A4A reportedly said. A4A also wants to abandon the cash refund rules for cancelled or significantly delayed flights.
In April 2024, the DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the biggest win for airline passengers in a generation: mandatory refunds for flights that are long-delayed or cancelled.
However, A4A calls this "a gross example of Federal overreach," despite bipartisan support from Congress for the same rules in the 2024 FAA Reauthorizations Act.
The airlines also want to allegedly avoid warning consumers about extra fees, too.
Buttigieg also took long needed action on providing junk fee transparency, with the simple goal of making sure you have full fare and fee data when you start booking.
In 2024, A4A and individual member airlines promptly sued DOT over this action, a suit that's still pending.
They essentially want to spend millions of dollars to prevent consumers from knowing how much their trip will cost. A4A also calls for ending the fair family seating policy.
For a decade now, the big airlines have fought against multiple mandates from Congress and the DOT that say the airlines cannot charge families extra money to sit with their kids under the age of 13.
A4A is now calling for abandoning the Buttigieg guidance on family seating, despite DOT reporting that A4A members Delta, Southwest, and United still do not guarantee adjacent seats at no extra cost. A4A wants to hide economy class seat size information.
They want to force disabled passengers to notify airlines in advance of their travel plans, thus violating the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of interstate travel as a fundamental right.
A4A wants Trump's staff to terminate the DOT's Memoranda of Understanding with state attorneys general to jointly address airline passenger complaints. All 93 pages of the government filing reportedly contain more proposals as bad as the ones mentioned above.
The deadline for public comment on the filing has already passed, but American Economic Liberties Project, along with other consumer advocates, will be filing comments with the DOT's consumer protection staff. If the big airlines get their way, consumer protections will vanish and they will operate under new levels of secrecy.
On September 4, the White House announced that it would not enforce the rule that requires carriers to pay compensation to passengers for flight disruptions caused by the airlines, a right that is enjoyed by travelers in many other countries.
On the same day, the DOT announced 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 expected fees."
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