US Politics
Trump urged to save plan that forces airlines to pay flyers for delays
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A group of 18 Democratic senators is urging the Trump administration to reconsider its vow to axe a plan requiring airlines to pay passengers cash compensation when flight disruptions are caused by carriers.
The US Department of Transportation, under then-President Joe Biden in December, sought public comment in a regulatory proceeding about whether airlines should be forced to pay up to $775 per passenger for delays they cause.
USDOT said last month that it planned to drop the compensation plan. It is also considering rescinding Biden regulations requiring airlines and ticket agents to disclose service fees alongside airfares.
“This is a common-sense proposal,” said the letter signed by Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell, Ed Markey, Ron Wyden, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jack Reed, and others.
“When an airline’s mistake imposes unanticipated costs on families, the airline should try to remedy the situation by providing accommodations to consumers and helping cover their costs.”
A spokesperson for Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy did not immediately comment Tuesday but previously said some rules proposed or adopted under Biden “went beyond what Congress has required by statute, and we intend to reconsider those extra-statutory requirements.”
The department is also planning to reduce regulatory burdens on airlines and ticket agents by writing new rules detailing the definition of a flight cancellation that entitles consumers to ticket refunds, as well as revisiting rules on ticket pricing and advertising.
Airlines have pushed the Trump administration to go further and praised the action to rescind the Biden plan. USDOT has taken other steps to reverse Biden’s airline consumer efforts.
In May, the Justice Department dropped a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines filed by the Biden administration in its final days that accused the carrier of illegally operating chronically delayed flights.
