Washington (October 28, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), led 14 of their colleagues in sending a letter today to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy, urging the DOT to reconsider its decision to roll back consumer protections for airline passengers that built on the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act. Specifically, President Donald Trump’s DOT is rolling back protections created by the Biden administration that would require airlines to compensate passengers for flight delays and cancellations and provide consumers transparent information upfront about the costs of ancillary plane ticket fees. DOT’s actions to roll back these protections would make American families vulnerable to excessive travel costs.
In the letter, the senators write, “Last year, Congress acted to protect the flying public from airline-caused disruptions and surprise costs. The law guaranteed the right to a hassle-free refund for passengers when flights are cancelled or significantly delayed regardless of cause. The law also required airlines to have policies in place to compensate passengers for significant flight disruptions within an airline’s control, and be transparent about fees — such as baggage fees or change fees — that they charge consumers. The regulations recently targeted by the Department build upon the consumer protection framework established under the law.”
They continue, “This is a common-sense proposal: when an airline’s mistake imposes unanticipated costs on families, the airline should try to remedy the situation by providing accommodations to consumers and helping cover their costs. By cancelling this rulemaking, the Department is actively foregoing an easy solution to foster consumer confidence and address the problem of unaffordable travel for many families.”
The senators conclude, “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. American families deserve transparency in airline pricing and fair compensation for travel disruptions. These cost-saving consumer protections should be strengthened, not weakened.”
The letter was cosigned by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Senator Markey is one of the Senate’s leading consumer protection champions. In 2024, Senators Markey, Cantwell, and Blumenthal successfully fought to include several consumer protection provisions in the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act, including a ban on family seating fees, automatic, hassle-free refunds, and a requirement that flight vouchers be valid for five years. In July 2024, Senator Markey led a bipartisan letter to American Airlines urging the company to comply with recent passed consumer protection laws. Senator Markey has led several pieces of legislation with Senator Blumenthal to protect aviation consumers, including their comprehensive Airline Passenger Bill of Rights Act Cash Refunds for Flight Cancellations Act, which significantly expand consumer protection laws for passengers.
###
