Blumenthal Slams Trump Administration for Backtracking on Consumer Protections for the Flying Public

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today issued the below statement slamming the Trump Administration for formally withdrawing from proposed rulemaking under the Biden Administration that would have required airlines to compensate passengers for flight cancellations or delays within carriers’ control:

“The Trump Administration withdrawing this commonsense proposal that protects and compensates passengers makes their priorities clear. Their aim is to pad the pocketbooks of the airline industry—not help consumers caught up in the chaos of air travel when their plans are upended by flight delays and cancellations.”

As the author of the Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights, Blumenthal has pushed to ensure that airlines provide passengers with fair compensation, refunds, and recourse in the event of airline-caused flight delays and cancellations. His comprehensive legislation would require airlines to pay at least $1,350 to passengers denied boarding as a result of an oversold flight and mandate airlines to immediately refund bag fees for damaged or lost bags.

Blumenthal has also repeatedly called for enhanced consumer protections for travelers who are eligible for airline ticket refunds. Most recently, Blumenthal joined his Democratic colleagues in writing to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to encourage the Department to reverse its decision to roll back and weaken regulations that would ensure passengers receive fair compensation for travel disruptions.

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