Washington, DC—In response to news that a Congressional agreement on the FAA Reauthorization Bill would weaken the Department of Transportation’s new rule requiring airlines to issue automatic cash refunds for flight cancellations and other inconveniences, the American Economic Liberties Project released the following statement.

“Congress is using the latest FAA Reauthorization to weaken the DOT’s hugely popular new rule requiring automatic cash refunds for flight cancellations and delays—a watershed achievement issued just last week to protect passengers against too-big-to-care airlines,” said Morgan Harper, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the American Economic Liberties Project. “Under the Senate’s proposal, airlines would not have to issue a refund until a consumer initiates a request, likely ensuring many passengers will never receive or seek a refund at all. Senate Commerce Committee leadership is blatantly doing the bidding of airline giants at the public’s expense. This attempt to undermine the Biden Administration’s pro-consumer rule must be rectified before the FAA’s passage.”

Learn more about Economic Liberties here.

###

The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.