Hot Bags...DOT Requiring more Transparency

The Obama administration unveiled sweeping new consumer protections for airline passengers Wednesday that would give travelers refunds when bags arrive late, require carriers to release more information about tardy flights and make purchasing tickets more transparent.


The government is also planning to require air carriers to report more information on wheelchairs it loses or damages, and clearer data on the percentage of bags that get lost on flights.

We are committed to a system of fair treatment and fair play for the 700 million passengers that will board 9 million domestic flights this year,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said at a White House briefing. “These new protections will do just that.”

The combination of executive actions and proposed rule changes are the third major effort at improving air-passenger consumer protections by the Obama administration and are sure to draw fire from airlines. Some of the consumer measures would take effect soon while others, including the late-baggage proposal, may take more than a year.