Trump Administration Officially Scraps Rule That Would Force Airlines to Pay Travelers For Delays

Screenshot via Pod Force One

President Donald Trump’s administration officially withdrew a proposed rule that would force airlines to compensate passengers for delayed flights on Friday.

The regulation, which was first proposed in 2024 by then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, would have required airlines to pay passengers up to $300 for domestic delays lasting three or more hours, and up to $775 for flight delays lasting nine hours or longer.

After teasing that it planned to cancel the Biden-era plan in September, the Department of Transportation released a notice on Friday announcing its official withdrawal.

“In light of the comments, applicable legal authorities, and Department and Administration policies, the Department has decided to withdraw the ANPRM on Airline Passenger Rights,” the notice read.

The department cited “unnecessary regulatory burdens” as the reason for the withdrawal, noting among other points that “some airlines may even offer compensation to accommodate passengers on a case-by-case basis to encourage loyalty despite not being obligated to do so.”

A group of Democratic senators urged the department to reconsider rescinding the plan in an October letter addressed to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.

The coalition of 18 lawmakers– including Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ed Markey (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)– called the regulation a “common-sense proposal” and accused the department of “actively foregoing an easy solution to foster consumer confidence and address the problem of unaffordable travel for many families.”

“We urge DOT to reconsider its decision to roll back these important cost-saving protections for the flying public and to implement the bipartisan FAA law requirements as Congress intended,” read the letter. “American families deserve transparency in airline pricing and fair compensation for travel disruptions. These cost-saving consumer protections should be strengthened, not weakened.”

The department’s announcement comes amid increased flight disruptions brought on by the government shutdown, which left air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Agency officials without pay for weeks.

Despite the longest government shutdown in history coming to an end on Wednesday, officials warned it could take up to a week for airlines to begin operating normally.

Sean Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford announced on Friday that flight reductions, which reached up to 10% during the shutdown, would be lowered to just 3% starting on November 15.

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