Trump is rolling back protections that kept away ‘junk’ fees when you fly. Here are the other changes

The Transportation Department under Secretary Sean Duffy is dismantling several airline passenger protections adopted during the Biden years, the New York Times reported, and consumer advocates say the changes tilt the balance toward carriers. Paul Hudson, president of FlyersRights. org, called the trend a wholesale reversal of protections for flyers. A department spokesperson responded that no passenger rights have been diminished, according to The Independent.

One target is a rule that would have forced airlines to show extras such as checked baggage charges next to the full fare while customers book. Carriers sued over it in 2024, a federal court set it aside on procedural grounds, and the department abandoned it in June. The following month, officials floated scrapping a requirement, in place for fifteen years, that the final ticket price appear in bigger type than taxes and fees. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, warned Duffy in a letter that shoppers would be caught off guard by mandatory charges. The department says taxes would simply get equal prominence.

A separate rule, effective October 19, narrows when travelers can collect compensation for canceled or badly delayed flights.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →