DOT REQUESTS INFORMATION ON OBSOLETE OR UNNECESSARY REGULATIONS
May 7, 2025
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On April 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT” or the “Department”) published a Request for Information (“RFI”) seeking comments on which existing regulations, guidance, paperwork requirements, and other regulatory obligations should be modified or repealed. DOT specifically wants to identify existing regulations, guidance, or reporting requirements which may be obsolete or unnecessary. To streamline the Department’s review, stakeholders across the U.S. transportation system are encouraged to submit comments on which DOT-imposed obligations are most in need of reform or elimination such that the Department can tailor limited resources to ensure safety for millions of travelers while minimizing regulatory burdens. For example, the Department seeks information on whether data reporting obligations imposed on transportation providers are overly burdensome given the fact that new technologies exist to collect data without saddling operators with yet another reporting requirement. In response to a similar request during the first Trump administration, one regulation on the proverbial chopping block included the requirement pursuant to 14 C.F.R. 250.9 for written statements explaining the terms, conditions, and limitations of denied boarding compensation, and describing a carrier’s boarding priority criteria. Commenters aptly noted that written requirements may no longer be necessary in a world dominated by electronic communication. Paper-based requirements impose significant costs on airlines and thus regulatory changes permitting airlines to furnish electronic versions of required documents directly to consumers would be welcomed. If there are existing regulations, guidance, paperwork requirements, or other regulatory obligations that you would like to identify as obsolete or unnecessary, we can surely assist in submitting a comment by the RFI deadline of on or before May 5, 2025.
This Aviation Blog is intended to keep readers current on developments in the law. It is not intended to be legal advice. If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr at 202.659.6622 or esahr@eckertseamans.com; Drew Derco at 202.659.6665 or dderco@eckertseamans.com, Andrew Orr 202.659.6625 or aorr@eckertseamans.com; Jay Julien at 202.659.6648 or jjulien@eckertseamans.com; or Tyler Myers at 202.659.6642 or trmyers@eckertseamans.com, or any other attorney at Eckert Seamans with whom you have been working.
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