The Department of Transportation issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding Procedures in Regulating and Enforcing Unfair or Deceptive Practices, which proposes to reinstate hearing procedures when exercising its authority to investigate and decide whether an air carrier, foreign air carrier, or ticket agent has been or is engaged in an unfair or deceptive practice in air transportation or the sale of air transportation.
The proposed changes will be helpful to the aviation industry, as they set forth a defined process for hearings. “The Department produces its best work when it is informed by robust public input, the best available data, and sound law and economics, and these procedures increase opportunities to receive those essential building blocks for good governance that would strengthen the overall quality and fairness of the Department’s administrative actions,” according to the NPRM. Comments must be submitted by December 1, 2025.