6 Ways the Government Just Made Flying More Stressful

Here’s a question worth asking before you book holiday travel: When your flight falls apart, who pays?

For a few years, the answer was drifting toward the airlines. Now it’s drifting back toward you.

Since last fall, the U.S. Department of Transportation has dropped, paused or loosened a string of passenger protections. One more is effective as of Oct. 19. Few made big headlines on their own. Together, they move real money from your pocket to the airlines’.

Don’t take my word for it. In the rule that kicks in next week, the department’s own economic analysis predicts that the amenities and compensation airlines give stranded travelers — think meals and hotel rooms — will shrink.

The rule, signed by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, calls that “a transfer of value from consumers back to air carriers.”

And it’s landing just as holiday airfares hit 10-year highs.

I’ve been covering consumer money for more than 35 years, and I’ve watched this pendulum swing before. Here are six ways it just swung against you — and what to do about each one.

1. A broken plane may no longer get you a hotel

Federal rules don’t require airlines to buy you a meal or a hotel room when your flight is delayed or canceled. But most big ones promise to when the problem is their fault.

As of the department’s 2024 count, all nine of the largest U.S. airlines promised meals for airline-caused disruptions, and eight promised hotels.

The catch is the word “fault.” Those promises cover only delays and cancellations within the airline’s control.

As of Oct. 19, 10 kinds of trouble officially stop counting as the airline’s fault in the delay reports airlines file with the government.

The list includes medical emergencies, removing an unruly passenger, certain cyberattacks and — here’s the big one — unscheduled maintenance that can’t wait, including repairs ordered by a Federal Aviation Administration safety directive.

Think about that. The department’s own airline dashboard lists maintenance problems as a classic example of an airline-caused delay. Now a plane that breaks before takeoff can land in a new bucket, and the hotel promise may not follow you there.

In fairness, Congress ordered this change in the bipartisan 2024 FAA reauthorization law, and the department says it simply adopted the law’s list word for word.

But its own analysis concedes passengers will get less help — and admits it can’t reliably estimate how much less.

Read more about the rule in “New DOT Rule May Make It Harder to Receive Compensation for Flight Delays.”

What to do: When your flight is delayed or canceled, get the stated reason in writing. A screenshot of the airline’s app alert works. Keep every receipt. If the reason seems like a stretch, politely ask for a supervisor.

2. Cash for airline-caused delays is off the table

In December 2024, the department floated something no U.S. airline guaranteed: cash when the airline causes a long delay.

The amounts it put up for comment started at $200 for a domestic delay of three hours and topped out at $775 for nine hours or more.

Last November, the department withdrew the idea, citing the administration’s orders to cut regulation.

The airlines’ trade group, Airlines for America, says a Europe-style payout system would take an estimated $5.2 billion a year out of passengers’ pockets and mean less service.

Maybe. But travelers in the European Union and Canada already get cash for many long delays. Here, you get whatever your airline volunteers.

What to do: Ask anyway. Even the department’s own guidance tells stranded travelers to ask airline staff whether they’ll pay for meals, a hotel or their time. The worst they can say is no.

3. A new flight number may not mean a refund

Under the 2024 refund rule, if your airline moved you to a flight with a different number, the original flight counted as canceled. That meant you could walk away with your money back.

Not for now. The department stopped enforcing that piece in December 2025 after airlines argued renumbering is a logistical necessity that rarely affects passengers. In July, it extended the pause to July 7, 2027.

The pause has limits.

If the renumbered flight also comes with a significant change — departure or arrival moved three hours or more on a domestic trip, a different airport or a downgrade, for example — you’re still owed a refund if you don’t want it.

What to do: When your airline emails a schedule change, don’t just click “Accept.” Compare the old and new times, airports and connections first.

One quick note — I’ve won two Emmys for reporting on money, but what I’m proudest of is helping regular people build real wealth. Sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter and I’ll help you do exactly that. 10 seconds, no fluff, no spam.

4. The definition of ‘canceled’ is being rewritten

That renumbering pause is a placeholder. The department says it’s working on a new refund rule that aims to reduce what it calls unnecessary regulatory burdens by changing the definition of a canceled flight that entitles you to a refund.

Read that again. Your right to a refund is the strongest protection you have left. When a rewrite’s stated goal is lightening the load on airlines, it’s hard to picture it ending with more refunds for you.

As of the department’s July notice, that rule was still pending, so the details aren’t public.

What to do: Know today’s rules while they last. If your airline cancels your flight or significantly changes it — for any reason — and you turn down the alternative, you’re owed a refund, even on a nonrefundable ticket.

If you paid by credit card, you should have your money back within seven business days of turning down the alternative.

5. Fare ads could put taxes front and center

Since 2011, airfare ads have had to show the total price, taxes and fees included. And that total has had to be the most prominent number on the page.

In July, the department proposed letting airlines show taxes and fees just as prominently as the total.

It’s also weighing repealing the advertising rule altogether.

The airlines’ trade group and the main global airline association had urged the department to go further and drop the requirement that the advertised fare include taxes and government fees.

Separately, in February, a federal appeals court threw out a 2024 rule that would have required airlines to show bag and change fees up front. The department says it’ll handle fee disclosure in a separate rulemaking.

Giving the government’s cut bigger type makes a nice political point. It does nothing to help you compare the real price of two tickets.

What to do: Compare the total, including bags and a seat assignment, before you click “buy.” Airline add-ons are a big reason we keep a list of fees you should never pay.

6. Wheelchair protections are on hold

In December 2024, the department finalized a rule that, among other things, made airlines liable for mishandled wheelchairs and required them to reimburse fare differences when a wheelchair couldn’t fit on a flight. Several major airlines sued.

The department has since stopped enforcing four provisions, including the mishandled-wheelchair liability and the fare-difference reimbursement, while it writes a replacement. In August, it extended that pause to April 30, 2027.

The airline trade group says airlines still pay to fix damaged wheelchairs no matter the cause; what it objects to is being fined. The rest of the rule remains in force.

What to do: Photograph your wheelchair or scooter before you hand it over. If it comes back damaged, report it to the airline before you leave the airport, then file a complaint with the DOT through its consumer complaint page.

How to protect yourself before your next trip

With the government stepping back, your own preparation matters more than ever. Here’s where I’d start.

• Check your credit card. Some travel cards include trip-delay coverage that can pay for meals and a hotel after a long delay. Check what triggers it before you fly. If yours has nothing, you can shop cards here.
• Read travel insurance fine print. Policies can exclude exactly what goes wrong, as one traveler learned after she paid $805 for travel insurance.
• Look up your airline’s promises. The department’s cancellation and delay dashboard shows what each big airline commits to when it causes a problem. Those promises are enforceable.
• Know your refund rights. They’re laid out on the department’s refunds page, and for now they still apply no matter why your flight was canceled.

Bottom line? When Washington decides airlines need fewer rules, the cost doesn’t vanish. It lands on the person stuck at the gate at midnight. Make sure that person knows the rules better than the agent behind the counter.