After the Biden administration put forward a potential rule change which would require airlines to pay passengers for “controllable” delays or cancellation, airlines are now asking the Trump administration to end consideration.
With the changes both in the White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation, airlines are asking for a proposed rule under consideration to be dropped.
Reuters reports Airlines for America is asking the Trump administration to stop a review to determine if U.S. carriers should pay compensation to flyers who are delayed by carriers.
Airlines Claim Rule Would Harm Aviation Instead of Benefit Flyers
The original idea was loosely based on EC261, which requires European carriers and some airlines flying outbound from the European Union to pay compensation when flights are cancelled for a “controllable reason.” Managing a review for the rule was proposed during a private White House meeting in September 2024, with the goal of introducing a rule by January 2025.
With the change in presidential administrations, airlines are now asking for that consideration to quietly end. In letters seen by Reuters, Airlines for America told regulators: “Airlines do not need further incentive to provide quality service.”
The organization, which represents several major U.S. carriers, says that adding regulation which would require airlines to compensate passengers would only increase costs which would be passed to flyers in the form of higher ticket prices. Under the Transportation Department led by former secretary Pete Buttigieg, airlines committed to new policies for travelers with disrupted flights, including refunds for cancelled or significantly delayed flights and fee-free family seating.
The White House has not signaled their stance on the proposed compensation rule. Instead, in previous comments after the American Airlines Flight 5342 incident, President Donald Trump has stressed the idea of modernizing the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure – an idea praised by Airlines for America.
