Economist Robert Reich on Tuesday slammed the President Donald Trump administration’s move to relax rules that govern the marketing of airline ticket prices, enacted during the former President Barack Obama‘s time at the White House.
Taking to the social media platform X, Reich said that the Department of Transportation was “planning to roll back a requirement that airlines display total ticket prices more prominently in their advertising.”
Read Also: Higher Airfares Are Sticking After Spring Price Hikes, Analyst Says
Reich said that the original rule was an “Obama-era rule started in response to complaints from flyers that they felt deceived when buying tickets.”
“Yet another way Trump is making flying even worse,” the economist said in his post. The proposed regulation seeks to change the current requirement of having the total price of the fare be displayed in a larger font than individual components like taxes and airline fees.
“The Department tentatively finds that the existing requirements regarding specific font size and prominence is unnecessarily prescriptive,” the DOT said in the proposal, adding that it “should be modified to allow fare components to be displayed as prominently as the total price.”
Notably, the document also points to a later statement by the DOT which says the agency could repeal the rule entirely. “As an alternative, the Department is considering repealing the Full Fare Rule in whole,” it said.
Trump's DOT is planning to roll back a requirement that airlines display total ticket prices more prominently in their advertising.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) July 7, 2026
It's an Obama-era rule started in response to complaints from flyers that they felt deceived when buying tickets.
Yet another way Trump is making…
Higher Airfares Rock Aviation Sector
Higher fares for flight tickets have plagued travelers for a while and the prices were further intensified by the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, including the Iran war.
Some analysts also said that while Trump’s peace deal lowered fuel costs, demand was still healthy for flights, which meant airlines would see little incentive to lower prices.
Meanwhile, GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan also pointed to steady demand for air travel in the U.S. The analyst said that air fares going down would be difficult “until demand dropped” sometime around Fall 2026.
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