US: Consumer groups say new Trump administration rules for airlines will hurt efforts to stop ‘deceptive practices’

The Department of Transportation has set new standards for how it would determine whether airlines are being unfair or deceiving passengers, giving a boost to the industry in the Trump administration’s final weeks by issuing rules that consumer groups say will make it harder to rein in bad behavior and craft new protections. The department said it was taking the step, which it says in some cases merely writes existing practices into the federal government’s formal rule book, in the interest of transparency and consistency. “The rule will benefit the public and regulated entities,” it said. The rules, finalized Friday, are technical but opponents say their bureaucratic language masks how one of their provisions, in particular, will dramatically slow the Transportation Department’s efforts to outlaw “unfair or deceptive practices.” The changes will allow airlines and other industry players to seek formal hearings to hash out factual issues before a practice is banned or new protections are put in place. The change was sought by the airline industry, which complained in the early days of the Trump administration that recently imposed consumer protection rules made it more difficult to do business and had asked the government to ease up. Under the Obama administration, the Transportation Department required airlines to disclose the full cost of tickets, including taxes and fees; give passengers 24 hours to cancel a ticket after booking; and took other steps designed to protect consumers from delayed or oversold flights. Airlines for America, which represents the major carriers and supported the new rules, thanked federal officials for taking action.<br/>