In 2025, the major U.S. airlines were taken off the leash by the incoming federal administration.
A lobbyist for the airlines, Sean Duffy, was installed as the head of the Department of Transportation, and he began granting the biggest items on the big carriers’ wish list and declining to pursue consumer protections.
We have been covering the onslaught of radical, anti-consumer changes flooding the airline regulation books. There’s a lot going on, but the upshot is more unchecked power getting handed to the airlines. And that’s bad news for consumers.
In September, the Trump administration rescinded a rule that would require airlines to provide $200–$775 in compensation for airline-caused delays of more than 3 hours. That rule had bipartisan support in Congress.
Republican bureaucrats also announced they would not bother to enforce key provisions that provided consumer protections for disabled travelers whose wheelchairs were damaged by the airlines.
Also on the chopping block: the common-sense rule that said airlines must not charge families extra money to be seated with their kids under the age of 13.
The monthly Air Travel Consumer Reports, travelers’ main source for airline performance on flight delays, cancellations, consumer complaints, mishandled baggage, and bumping, is also being pushed to extinction, which would let the airlines operate shoddier service with fewer people knowing about it.
Airline passengers in the U.S. already have many fewer rights than travelers in other countries.
So what rights remain for U.S. air travelers?
The New York State Attorney General has released an up-to-date reminder of air travelers’ current consumer rights, which apply to everyone nationwide.
This is the most pertinent stuff.
If a flight is delayed or canceled or if you’re bumped
“If a flight is significantly delayed, cancelled, or if a traveler is denied boarding despite purchasing a ticket, they may be entitled to compensation. Travelers can submit complaints online and should have the following documents and materials available to provide with their complaint:
- Booking details, such as their ticket, itinerary, and invoice;
- Flight details, such as dates, flight numbers, and city pairs; and
- Any supporting documentation, such as a copy of the complaint filed with the airline or ticket agent, if available.”
If a flight is canceled and you don’t travel
“Travelers are entitled to a refund if an airline cancels a flight, regardless of the reason, and the consumer chooses not to travel or accept travel credits, vouchers, or other forms of compensation offered by the airline.”
If you change your mind about a purchase within 24 hours
“Travelers are eligible to receive a full refund on their ticket within 24 hours of purchasing it, if the ticket is purchased more than seven days before the flight. However, most discount fares are non-refundable.”
Compensation if your flight is canceled or delayed
Although airlines are not required by law to furnish identical types of compensation, such as hotel rooms or food vouchers, some airlines have promised to make certain accommodations, and they are required to stick to those promises. Find out what that compensation should be, airline by airline, on the Department of Transportation’s Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard.
From the New York Attorney General’s consumer alert: “Airlines are required to adhere to the promises that they make in their customer service plan, including commitments to care for travelers in the event of controllable delays or cancellations. Travelers should consult the DOT’s airline cancellation and delay dashboard to see what amenities and compensation airlines have committed to provide passengers in the event of a controllable delay or cancellation.”
If your checked baggage is not delivered
“Travelers are entitled to refunds of their checked bag fees if their baggage:
- Has been declared lost by the airline;
- Is not delivered within 12 hours after the flight has arrived if it is on a domestic flight;
- Is not delivered within 15 hours after the flight has arrived if the flight is international and shorter than 12 hours; or
- Is not delivered within 30 hours after the flight has arrived if the flight is international and longer than 12 hours.”
Additionally, the DOT maintains a Family Seating Dashboard that tells you which airlines have committed to allowing you to sit with your kids without paying extra. Shockingly, only Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and JetBlue have made this promise. The others only guarantee that adults can sit with their minor children after cash changes hands.
Those are your rights—for now. With almost no one with power inside the federal government advocating for consumer defense for travelers, and with the administration’s transportation leaders drawn from the ranks of the airline lobby, don’t expect even these paltry protections to remain intact for long.
