The Obama administration announced new regulations on airline carriers Tuesday evening. The new rules follow President Obama’s executive order in April to boost competition between airline carriers and improve consumers’ experiences when flying.
Under the Department of Transportation’s guidance, the 700 million annual domestic passengers will not be charged for services they do receive and will be given refunds for delayed baggage services.
“For example, if passengers are charged a fee by an airline for their checked baggage, they should expect to receive that baggage in a timely manner,” according to the White House fact sheet. “The Administration has already taken steps to require airlines to reimburse bag fees when bags are lost; today, DOT is issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to require airlines to refund baggage fees when a passenger’s luggage is substantially delayed.”
Airline companies will also be banned from “cherry-picking data about their performance,” which will provide consumers with more information before making a decision about the company to choose for a flight.
Online ticket agents will be required to disclose whether they are rewarded or compensated for getting customers to purchase from a particular airline.
Large U.S. airlines will have to report how often they “mishandle wheelchairs,” though the term was not defined in the fact sheet.
The Transportation Department is looking into additional regulations, including banning airlines from making customers pay for flight, seat assignment, boarding preference and baggage separately. In addition, travel agents may have to adopt minimum customer service standards, including the right for customers to cancel a reservation within 24 hours and receive a refund.
