Biden-era plane traveler protections are next on the chopping block

The IATA is now lobbying the Duffy-led Department of Transportation.

Feb 12, 2025 - 19:04

Biden-era plane traveler protections are next on the chopping block

Over the last two years, the Biden Administration has either passed or attempted to pass a number of changes aimed at protecting those who fly on planes from deceptive sales practices.

Some of the biggest changes would require airlines to declare "junk fees" for things like baggage and cancelations upfront as well as prevent them from charging families with children under 13 to sit together.

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An unidentified airplane is seen flying above the clouds at sunset. Air travelers may soon see traveler protections against junk fees and other charges rolled back.
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Language like 'bureaucrats' and 'regime' are an industry call to Trump's administration

Such changes were immediately challenged by airlines. In the spring of 2024, Delta (DAL) , United (UAL) and American Airlines (AAL) came together to sue the Department of Transportation (DoT) over what they claimed were uncompetitive sales practices.

Now that Trump's administration has stepped in, the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) representing over 340 airlines around the world has sent a letter urging Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to reverse the passenger protections passed under Joseph Biden and Barack Obama.

"Since 2009, the [Obama and Biden] administrations issued more than 11 significant passenger rights and accessibility rules and numerous policies designed to force airlines to operate in a fashion that bureaucrats deemed acceptable," the letter that the DoT published on Feb. 11 reads.

Language such as "bureaucrats" and "unprecedented regulatory regime" play on what is used by Trump and Tesla (TSLA) founder Elon Musk to justify their ongoing efforts to shrink the federal government over the last two weeks.

'Fierce competition among U.S. airlines continues to deliver low-cost travel options'

The letter further claims that the protections were passed without understanding competitive practices in the industry and level of oversight legally permitted by the DoT.

The IATA further calls on the DoT and Duffy to cancel Biden-initiate probes into industry competition practices as well as scrap ongoing public Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) processes seeking public consultation on how to protect passengers from significant travel disruptions.

Coming into politics after an acting career staring for several MTV reality shows, Duffy is a former U.S. representative from Wisconsin known for his far-right views.

His first actions after being confirmed as Transportation Secretary included instructing his department to prioritize federal transportation grants to communities with high birth rates and telling the FAA to revert the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system for pilot updates back to Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). The change to be more inclusive was made under Biden.

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Family seating and junk fee disclosures have also been singled out in the letter while the IATA said that, in passing certain protections for passengers with disabilities, the DoT under Biden "ignored operational and economic realities in favor of unrealistic proposals pushed by advocacy organizations."

Industry representatives had repeatedly expressed hope that less regulation under the new administration would help airlines run their business with profit at the forefront while advocates called their practices deceptive. Many of the protections, particularly those around junk fees, received bipartisan support at the time.

In ending the letter, the IATA says that it is "confident" that it has "demonstrate[d] that fierce competition among U.S. airlines continues to deliver low-cost travel options to more destinations to more passengers than ever before."