If the airline has their way, say goodbye to your refund rights.
Several U.S. airlines have filed a request to the Department of Transportation to remove major consumer protections enforced by the federal government, an action that could cost passengers refunds, information, etc.
The airline’s 93-page request for the major American Airlines lobbying organization was quietly submitted in May in response to a case file opened by the DOT with President Donald Trump’s executive order, which promoted deregulation through the Department of Government Efficiency. The document was resurfaced this week by William McGee, a senior fellow at the U.S. Economic Freedom Project, a nonpartisan but often nonprofit-oriented and published by Frommers.
A4A stands for Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and cargo airlines Atlas Air, FedEx and UPS.
It is not clear how many requirements DOT will issue A4A, or whether there is any one request. However, the document provides how airlines view various requirements and regulations surrounding air travel, including what airlines consider to be “unnecessary costs and bureaucracy” and “unfair” to airlines. A4A said in some suggestions that airlines will effectively police themselves and treat passengers fairly without being forced by regulators.
The key regulations A4A seeks to repeal is that when passengers cancel or are significantly delayed, airlines require airlines to issue automatic refunds to passengers, which was enacted under the Biden administration. In public comments, A4A described the rule as “a general example of illegal federal overpromotion”, believing that airlines have “prove their commitment to take care of customers in the event of flight cancellations or substantial delays.”
The organization also proposed to repeal the proposed rule that requires airlines to show the full cost of the flight (including fees and taxes) when choosing to fly, rather than on the final checkout page. The A4A believes that the requirement is “higher than the standards imposed on other industries.”
Other rules and regulations A4A attempt to eliminate, including aspects of the rules surrounding how airlines handle guest wheelchairs, requiring airlines to place families in a seatless charge, and certain information to appear on airport signs. The airline also wants DOT to kill its dashboard, detailing passenger rights during delays and cancellations and other dashboards introduced by the Federal Aviation Administration’s 2024 Reauthorization Act, which calls on the agency to create dashboards to compare seats, compare seat sizes and family seating rules.
As part of the relaxed adjustment, the A4A requires that the point limit data tracking and release in its monthly air travel consumer reports. It describes these as “reporting burden” and can eliminate “adverse effects on any potential benefit.”
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“We also question whether the cost of generating the report is of great benefit,” the lobbying team wrote.[H]Have you visited ATCR multiple times? ”
When compiling our Airline of the Year report, TPG uses ATCR as one of its main data sources, which analyzes airlines’ on-time performance and luggage handling events, as well as various aspects of costs, amenities and air travel.
Lindsay Owens, executive director of Basic Work Collaboration for Progressive Economic Think Tanks, said the requirement to enact the A4A will enable airlines to leverage consumers and show that other industries can do the same.
“Airlines have long been pioneers of ruthless and deceptive pricing,” Owens said. “Now, they are seeking self-start consumer protection, with a long history of breaching violations.”
“If the major passenger protection measures are further removed, the signal will become clearer: policies that allow corporate profits to be placed on consumer wallets can freely soar in the Trump administration.”
While some or all of the A4A’s proposals may not become a reality, the impact on air travelers may be far-reaching. McGee of the U.S. Economic Freedom Project wrote that the organization will make further comments to DOT and encourage passengers to contact the agency as well.
A4A did not respond to TPG’s request for comment at press time.
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