2024-28930: Airline Passenger Rights

Summary

The U.S. Department of Transportation (Department or DOT) seeks public comment on a rulemaking to ensure consumers experiencing significant flight disruptions are taken care of and protected from financial losses. Specifically, the Department is considering imposing requirements on airlines to provide affected passengers cash compensation, free rebooking, and amenities such as meals, lodging for overnight delays, and transportation to and from lodging. The Department also seeks comment on whether some protections should be provided during any type of disruption, how to determine whether a cancellation or delay is within an airline's control, and how to ensure that passengers receive the correct information from the airline in a timely manner. Additionally, the Department solicits comments on how to ensure that the process for passengers to receive compensation and amenities is clear, simple, straightforward, and prompt, and whether to require certain aspects of the process to be automatic. Further, the Department seeks comment on whether it should require airlines to offer free rebooking on the same or partner airline to a passenger with a disability and others in the same travel party when one or more accessibility feature needed by the person with disability is unavailable.

The agency’s own summary, as published.