A screen displays delayed flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, US on May 9, 2025. — Reuters
At the onset of 2024’s busy summer travel season, air passengers in the US had reason to feel optimistic. The FAA Reauthorization Act had just passed on May 16, which meant that within a year, the government would be required to define several overdue consumer protections. Among them: compensation for long-delayed or cancelled flights.
Fast forward to the start of summer 2025, and that optimism has nosedived. Delays and cancellations are occurring at what may be a record clip as FAA officials deliberately slow the flow of traffic through some of the nation’s busiest hubs. And those long-promised consumer protections got watered down, as legislation often does.
