6 Highlights From the DOT’s New Passenger-Friendly Airline Guidelines
Photo Credit: The Transportation Department is proposing new guidelines that it says will protect consumers. Among them: Airlines that mishandle checked luggage will have to refund customers for what they paid for bags. Alaska Airlines
Skift Take
Some consumer protections are better than no consumer protections. But the steps outlined this week by the Obama Administration are relatively minor. They won't do much to change the travel experience.
The Obama Administration on Tuesday announced a series of relatively minor rule changes and proposals it says will protect airline passengers and encourage more competition among carriers.
The guidelines proposed by the U.S. Transportation Department will not significantly change the travel experiences for most Americans. But the government is trying to slightly improve customer satisfaction, mainly by forcing carriers to be more transparent about services they provide. If airlines provide more data to customers, regulators say, passengers will be able to make more informed decisions about which carriers they fly.
"The goal is to have a more robust consumer marketplace and to create a more competitive marketplace," Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said in a briefing announcing the new measures.
The proposals come as the U.S. Department of Justice determines whether it should clear Alaska Airlines' proposed acquisition of Virgin America. Consumer advocates generally op
