Airlines sue US Department of Transportation

The Airlines for America group and 6 other companies sued the USDOT (United States Department of Transportation, in Portuguese), a United States government body, on Friday (May 10, 2024), in an attempt to overturn the new regulation that requires the disclosure of service fees alongside air fares. The information is from the international news agency Reuters.

The airlines argue that the new rule, approved in April, would confuse consumers and overstep USDOT’s authority in regulating private commercial operations in a market “prosperous”. According to the companies, the law is “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion and otherwise contrary to the law.”

Here is the list of airlines that sued USDOT:

• American Airlines;
• Delta Air Lines;
• United Airlines;
• JetBlue Airways;
• Hawaiian Airlines;
• Alaska Airlines.

However, the department claims that “will vigorously defend” the rule that, according to President Joe Biden’s government body, “protects people from unwanted hidden fees and ensures travelers can see the full price of a flight before they buy a ticket”.

The U.S. Department of Transportation also said the rule could save costs for many consumers by reducing fees when traveling by air.

NEW RULES FOR AIRLINES

In April, the US government also implemented new regulations that require airlines to provide automatic refunds to customers in cases of significant flight cancellations or changes.

The change also requires airlines to refund the amount to the customer when purchased services, such as internet access, are not provided.

According to the United States Department of Transportation, these measures aim to protect consumers from practices considered to be “corporate fraud” and have the potential to save passengers up to $500 million annually.