Trump cancels Biden rules requiring airlines to pay passengers for delays

On September 4, the US Department of Transportation announced online that it was withdrawing the earlier notice of proposed rules filed in December 2024 by the administration of former President Joe Biden.

The Biden-era plan would have required airlines to pay passengers at least $200 for domestic flight delays of three hours or more. Penalties would have risen to $375–525 for delays lasting six to nine hours, and to $750–775 for delays exceeding nine hours.

"Some of the rules proposed or adopted by the previous administration, however, went beyond what Congress has required by statute, and we intend to reconsider those extra-statutory requirements," the agency representative said.

Airlines for America, the lobbying group representing major US carriers in Washington, welcomed the move. The organization stated that it encourages the department to roll back unnecessary and burdensome regulations that exceed its authority and do not address issues important to customers.

The Biden administration had promoted its compensation rules as a major step forward in protecting passengers affected by delays caused by airline computer system failures.

A representative of the Trump administration’s Department of Transportation said the agency would continue to enforce all consumer protection requirements mandated by Congress.

However, he emphasized that some rules proposed or adopted by the previous administration went beyond congressional authority, and therefore, the department intends to review and repeal such unlawful requirements.

Italy has announced plans to conceal the flight routes of its officials after Russia jammed the signal of the aircraft carrying European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

Although the Kremlin claimed it had no involvement in the GPS disruption of von der Leyen’s flight, Bulgarian interior minister Daniel Mitov said Russia’s denials of interference in the aircraft’s navigation should not be trusted.