It briefly looked like travelers would get compensation from airlines for flight cancellations or long delays caused by non-weather events, but the Trump administration is planning to cancel those anticipated consumer protections.
The proposed rules initially posted by the U.S. Department of Transportation in December 2024 under the Biden administration would have required airlines to pay passengers inconvenienced “when the cause of a cancellation or delay for flights to, within and from the United States was due to circumstances within the airline’s control.”
Among the forms of compensation under consideration were cash compensation, free rebooking and amenities such as meals, lodging for overnight delays and transportation to and from lodging.
The policy and compensation levels proposed would have brought U.S. regulations in line with those in countries such as Canada, which requires large airlines to pay travelers about $300 for carrier-caused delays of between three and six hours, about $500 for arrivals delayed between six and nine hours, and more than $700 for delays of nine or more hours, for example.
However, DOT published a notice this month withdrawing the proposed rulemaking, saying the move was “consistent with department and administration priorities.”
The industry group Airlines for America praised the announcement, saying in a statement, “We are encouraged by this Department of Transportation reviewing unnecessary and burdensome regulations that exceed its authority and don’t solve issues important to our customers,” according to NBC News.
In 2023, U.S. airlines cancelled a total of 93,987 flights, and about 6.8 percent of flights were delayed three hours or more, according to DOT. About 28 percent of cancellations and 62 percent of delays were caused by carrier issues.
“Contrary to popular belief, for domestic itineraries airlines are not required to compensate passengers whose flights are delayed or canceled,” the DOT states on its Fly Rights page, advising travelers, “If the purpose of your trip is to close a potentially lucrative business deal, give a speech or lecture, attend a family function or connect to a cruise, you might want to allow a little extra leeway and take an earlier flight.
“In other words, airline delays aren’t unusual, and defensive planning is a good idea when time is your most important consideration.”
