After a government shutdown that resulted in nearly every 10 flights being delayed, you’d think the Trump administration would do something to restore its reputation and air confidence ahead of the holidays. But, wild pitch here: What if they did the exact opposite? In a new filing at the Department of Transportation, the Trump administration said it would have killed the bill-increasing rule that would have required providing food, hotels, and money to passengers hit by flight delays.
According to the document, the Trump administration has decided that it is not authorized under existing laws to require airlines to provide compensation to travelers, which seems to be another time in line with what the law says. It also pointed out that the changes would not “provide a meaningful improvement in the airline’s flight performance.” Even if that were true, and the performance didn’t improve, there would be a rubric in the place to bring people back when their carrier by choice failed to get to their destination on time. Now there is no incentive to upgrade and no power to compensate affected travelers.
The Trump Administration Cound Industry groups representing airlines that said the required fees could cost carriers up to $5 billion a year. The parties also did not subtly suggest that the costs “could be passed on to American consumers in the form of higher prices.”
Instead of the necessary compensation established under biden, the Trump administration is going with the old “free market” approach. “The Department concludes that it is consistent with this principle to continue to allow airlines to compete for services and compensation that they offer lower costs for these services and services, and they may sell to consumers,” he wrote.
The biden-era law, proposed for the first time in 2023, would have required airlines to pay travelers between $200 and $775, according to free meals, accommodation, and reboars when flights are interrupted due to flying conditions. While most carriers offer things like free Reboarsong and vouchers for meals or hotels during extended delays, the rules vary depending on who you’re flying with. None of the carriers shall, prior to the bid proposal, offer monetary compensation for the inconvenience of the delay.
The rule went further, it could limit whether people can wait on the plane during the delay. Instead, we’re back to the free-for-all. Buyers will surely take solace during their next delay that their flights have won the battle in the market of opinion to deny them.
