How Passenger Rights May Change

Above, an Airbus A380 at LAX. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

With the Obama Administration now history, people are beginning to wonder what changes, if any, will take place with the Dept. of Transportation where it concerns airline passenger rights.

According to Condé Nast Traveler:

As the Obama administration leaves Washington, D.C. and power changes hands, travelers might be wondering: What’s going to happen to the dozens of airline passenger protection rules that took effect—and others that are still pending? 

First, some context. During the past eight years, an unusually active team over in the Transportation Department pushed through a slew of new rules affecting air travel, starting with the three-hour tarmac delay requirement, which levied stiff punishments on airlines that held fliers in planes for hours on end. That was followed by other other policies, which allowed passengers to hold reservations for 24 hours before making final payment, increased compensation for passengers who were bumped; and a requirement for airlines to advertise prominently the full price of an airline ticket, including all taxes.

Since President Trump knows the travel industry inside and out, having run hotels and an airline, some are cautiously optimistic that no real changes will be made, especially on protections that have been in place for years and are popular with the traveling public.

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