Consumer Protections For Air Travelers May Be Nixed By DOT
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What’s the story?
The Trump administration has a broad deregulation agenda, which has been easier to implement for some government agencies than others. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has been particularly challenged, since so many of their regulations have to do with safety. So they are turning to consumer protection regulations for air travelers in an attempt to fulfill the president’s regulatory mandate.
The Wall Street Journal reports the DOT solicited input from the airline industry concerning any "existing rules and other agency actions that are good candidates for repeal, replacement, suspension, or modification." An airline industry group, Airlines for America, submitted 222 pages of comments. United Airlines separately submitted another 50 pages.
Here’s a list of some of the rules and regulations the airlines are suggesting be repealed or modified:
A rule which imposes hefty fines if passengers are stranded on the runway for long periods.
A rule that airlines must advertise the full price of a ticket, including all taxes and fees.
A rule that mandates a 24-hour grace period to change tickets for a full refund.
A rule that requires them to honor tickets sold for "mistake fares".
A rule that prohibits charging fees for wheelchair service.
A rule that prohibits carriers from paying to dominate the options you see when shopping for fares.
A rule requiring carriers show on-time and cancellation data with flights.
A rule requiring involuntary denied boarding compensation be paid in cash or check (carriers want the option of issuing debit cards or electronic transfers).
Carriers are also asking for more regulations regarding the boarding of service animals.
Industry representatives argue that, "DOT has strayed far from the limited scope of the statutory mandate Congress gave it when deregulating the airline industry nearly 40 years ago." However, the Journal points out that DOT rules are the only consumer protection travelers have against an industry trying to turn a profit in the face of “weather, machines, air-traffic control and complicated scheduling with little cushion for recovery.”
What do you think?
In order to reduce the number of regulations overall, should the DOT remove regulations to protect consumers? Are there some you would support being removed and others you think are essential to keep?
Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!
— Asha Sanaker
(Photo Credit: Stefan Krasowski via Flickr / Creative Commons)
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