Airline Passenger Compensation Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Airline Passenger Compensation Act requires the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations within one year for disrupted flight compensation. Covered disruptions are domestic or international flight delays or cancellations due to circumstances within air carrier control. If a passenger arrives more than 3 but less than 9 hours after the original scheduled arrival, the airline must provide compensation of not more than $300. If arrival is 9 or more hours late, compensation may reach $775. If the delay or cancellation causes a missed connecting flight, the passenger must be booked on the next available flight at no additional cost. The bill states these compensation duties are separate from existing refund requirements under title 49.
Who Benefits and How
Airline passengers benefit from concrete compensation and free rebooking when airline-controlled disruptions cause major delays or missed connections. Consumer advocates benefit from a clear federal rule that gives passengers recourse beyond refunds. DOT aviation consumer protection staff benefit from explicit rulemaking authority.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Air carriers must pay compensation, rebook missed connections, update passenger-service systems, and comply with DOT regulations. DOT staff must write, enforce, and monitor the rules. Airlines may face higher disruption costs and stronger incentives to reduce controllable delays. Federal aviation complaint staff may see additional claims or enforcement work.
Key Provisions
- Requires DOT regulations for passenger compensation within one year.
- Provides up to $300 for controllable arrival delays of more than 3 but less than 9 hours.
- Provides up to $775 for controllable arrival delays of 9 hours or more.
- Requires free next-available-flight rebooking when a connecting flight is missed.
- Clarifies that compensation duties are separate from existing refund requirements.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Directs DOT to require airlines to compensate passengers for controllable delays or cancellations causing arrivals more than three hours late, with compensation up to $300 for 3 to 9 hour delays and up to $775 for delays of 9 or more hours, plus rebooking for missed connections.
Key Policy Areas
Transportation, Consumer Protection
Primary Purpose
Directs DOT to require airlines to compensate passengers for controllable delays or cancellations causing arrivals more than three hours late, with compensation up to $300 for 3 to 9 hour delays and up to $775 for delays of 9 or more hours, plus rebooking for missed connections.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Airline passengers
- Consumer advocates
- DOT aviation consumer protection staff
Identified Costs
- Air carriers
- DOT rulemaking staff
- Airline customer service systems
- Federal aviation complaint staff
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Aviation.
Mrs. Sykes (for herself, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Stanton, …
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Air carriers, Airline customer service systems
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology