FlyersRights Responds to DOT Proposed Roll Back of the Full Fare Advertising Rule

Requests DOT Provide Actual Evidence Justifying the Change

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- FlyersRights submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in response to its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled "Enhancing Flexibility of Air Fare Price Advertising." The proposed rule seeks to either weaken or potentially repeal the 1984 Full Fare Advertising Rule and its 2011 amendments.

The Full Fare Rule, enacted during the Reagan Administration, requires airline advertisements to include the entire price to be paid by a passenger to the airline for a ticket, including taxes and fees. The 1984 rule and the 2011 update were issued in response to complaints of deceptive practices in airfare advertising.

In its public comments, FlyersRights opposed the proposed rulemaking, arguing that the evidence and arguments that the DOT put forward support the status quo or enhanced transparency of all other fees, including optional ancillary fees.

"The same DOT that recently killed the rule to increase transparency in ancillary fees now argues that passengers need transparency into the existence and amount of federal taxes and fees in air travel," explained Paul Hudson, President of FlyersRights. "Airlines already display these taxes and fees prominently, yet with the exception of Southwest Airlines, want to now be able to list them as prominently as, or even more prominently than, the total price."

"This proposed rule is a license for airlines to confuse, deceive, and make it more difficult for passengers to price shop," said Paul Hudson, President of FlyersRights. "Passengers need transparency in the prices on which airlines actually compete–airfare and ancillary fees–not on the mandatory taxes and federal fees that airlines do not control. The DOT, in arguing that airlines need the flexibility to display taxes and fees as prominently as the total price, would be harming passengers, competition, and the airlines that do not wish to deceive their passengers."

FlyersRights has been a long-time advocate for policies that prioritize competition, transparency, and consumer protections within the airline industry.

For more information on FlyersRights' comments and to read the full submission, visit https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOT-OST-2025-0831-1357.

FlyersRights.org, established in 2007, is the largest airline passenger organization. It publishes a Know Your Rights guide and operates a free hotline for airline passengers at 877- FLYERS-6. FlyersRights advocates for passenger rights and aviation safety in Congress, federal agencies, and the courts. FlyersRights.org, 800- 662-1859, 4411 Bee Ridge Road #274, Sarasota, FL

For more information, contact, Paul Hudson, President of FlyersRights, 800-662-1859, [email protected]

SOURCE FlyersRights.org