{"id":2229157,"date":"2024-04-24T13:28:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T17:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-turns-screw-on-airlines-for-more-consumer-protections\/"},"modified":"2024-04-24T13:37:23","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T17:37:23","slug":"biden-administration-turns-screw-on-airlines-for-more-consumer-protections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-turns-screw-on-airlines-for-more-consumer-protections\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden administration enforces stricter consumer protections on airlines"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-administration-turns-screw-on-airlines-for-more-consumer-protections%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2229157&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Biden administration is pushing for airlines to offer automatic cash refunds to\u200b passengers and enhance consumer protections against surprise \u200bfees. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized the\u200b importance of transparency and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gm-financial-to-pay-over-3-5-million-to-resolve-claims-it-violated-u-s-law\/\" title=\"GM Financial to pay over .5 million to resolve claims it violated U.S. law\">timely refunds<\/a> without passenger requests. These efforts aim to provide clearer information \u2062on costs and prevent consumer\u200c headaches. Future regulations will mandate\u200d airlines \u200bto\u2062 comply with these requirements, benefiting passengers and addressing industry\u200b issues.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a>\u2018s administration is trying to ensure <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/air-travel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>airlines<\/a> offer automatic cash refunds to passengers and protect consumers, more broadly, from surprise fees, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-transportation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Transportation Secretary<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-buttigieg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Pete Buttigieg<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPassengers deserve to know upfront what costs they are facing and should get their money back when an airline owes them \u2014 without having to ask,\u201d Buttigieg said Wednesday in a statement. \u201cToday\u2019s announcements will require airlines to both provide passengers better information about costs before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumer-is-wrong-to-assume-cancelling-student-loan-debt-will-close-the-wealth-gap\/\" title=\"Schumer Is Wrong To Assume Cancelling Student Loan Debt Will Close The \u2018Wealth Gap\u2019\">ticket purchase<\/a>, and promptly provide cash refunds to passengers when they are owed \u2014 not only saving passengers time and money, but also preventing headaches.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Biden administration<\/a> is attempting to enact the changes through two federal regulations, according to the Department of Transportation. The first rule, finalized Wednesday, requires that airlines fully refund passengers when owed automatically and with cash or the original form of payment if their flights are canceled or significantly affected, their checked bags are significantly delayed, or there are problems with purchased services or products, such as in-flight Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n<p>A second rule requires airlines and ticket agents to advise consumers proactively of the fees they charge for baggage and changing or canceling reservations when prices are first advertised and not through a hyperlink, as well as inform them of any terms and conditions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen offering an advance seat assignment for a fee, airlines and ticket agents must let consumers know that purchasing a seat is not necessary to travel, so consumers can avoid paying unwanted seat selection fees,\u201d DOT wrote in a fact sheet.<\/p>\n<p>The measures are part of an administrationwide endeavor to reduce consumer prices amid persistent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/inflation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>inflation<\/a>. Buttigieg has also routinely intervened in the airline industry, particularly amid chaotic post-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>pandemic<\/a> travel, returning $600 million to passengers after the 2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/southwest-airlines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Southwest Airlines<\/a> holiday meltdown and fining airlines more than $164 million for consumer protection violations.<\/p>\n<p>The automatic refunds rule will be implemented over the next six months to a year, while the latter fees rule over the next six months to two years.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration is also proposing to prohibit family-seating junk fees, introduce mandatory compensation and amenities, and expand disability access, though those rules have not been finalized.<\/p>\n<p>The rules, unlikely to be welcomed by the airlines, may be challenged in court. But during a separate press conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Buttigieg said he and the administration are \u201cconfident in the sound legal basis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnsurprisingly, airlines are not enthusiastic about us holding them to a higher standard,\u201d Buttigieg told reporters. \u201cI believe that this is in the interest of the airline sector because it builds passengers\u2019 confidence in airlines. \u2026 They\u2019ll be able to adapt to this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Airlines for America, a trade association and lobbying group that represents major North American airlines, said its member airlines already offered transparent pricing and choices to consumers and would continue to do so.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA4A passenger airlines \u2014 which are fierce competitors \u2014 offer transparency and vast choice to consumers from first search to touchdown,\u201d A4A said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cA4A members offer a range of options \u2014 including fully refundable fares \u2014 to increase accessibility to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/canada-announces-strict-quarantine-rules-for-travelers\/\" title=\"Canada announces strict quarantine rules for travelers\">air travel<\/a> and to help customers make ticket selections that best fit their needs. Consumers are given the choice of refundable ticket options with terms and conditions that best fit their needs at first search results,\u201d A4A said. \u201cU.S. airlines are providing more options and better services while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/twitter-expands-clubhouse-like-audio-chat-feature\/\" title=\"Twitter Expands Clubhouse-Like Audio Chat Feature\">ticket prices<\/a>, including ancillary revenues, are at historic lows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 11-largest U.S. passenger airlines issued $43 billion in refunds to customers between January 2020 and December 2023, according to A4A. The cost of an average round-trip flight was 14% lower in 2023 than in 2010.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration aims to mandate airlines to provide automatic cash refunds to passengers and safeguard consumers from unexpected fees, as stated by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The initiative strives to enhance transparency for passengers regarding costs and ensure timely refunds without the need for passenger requests<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3092,"featured_media":2229158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24107755090298-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2229157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24107755090298-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3092"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2229157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2229158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2229157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2229157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2229157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}