The Department of Transportation asked for public input on scrapping the Full Fare Rule entirely. The comment period closed August 21, and it remains a proposal with no decision.
The regulation that makes airlines show you what a flight actually costs is under review.
The Department of Transportation proposed changes in July 2026 to the prominence requirements around how airfares are displayed. More significantly, the agency asked for public input on repealing the Full Fare Rule altogether.
What the Full Fare Rule actually does
The rule governs how prices appear when you search for a flight.
It requires that the total fare, including taxes and mandatory fees, be the most prominent figure in any advertisement or booking display. The intent is to prevent a $99 fare that turns into $178 at checkout.
The DOT’s July proposal argues the existing rules are unnecessarily prescriptive and limit airlines’ flexibility in how they market their products.
Perhaps they should be more competitive instead of trying to make prices appear lower to lure in customers.
One option under consideration would allow the total fare and individual components to receive similar prominence rather than requiring the total to dominate.
When the comment period closed
Public comments were originally due July 31. The period was extended to August 21 following requests from industry groups including Airlines for America and Southwest Airlines.
That window has now closed. The DOT has not announced when it will issue a decision.
What could change for how you book flights
Base fares could be displayed more prominently than totals, meaning the number you compare across airlines might not be the number you pay.
Comparison shopping gets harder when different carriers display different components with different prominence. That is the consumer argument against the change.
The industry argument is that airlines sell bundles and unbundled products and the current rule makes it difficult to present those clearly.
Both positions have been submitted to the docket. The DOT will weigh them.
Other travel rule changes already in effect for 2026
TSA ConfirmID launched February 1, 2026. Travelers arriving at security without a REAL ID-compliant license or acceptable alternative like a passport pay a $45 non-refundable fee for temporary identity verification, covering a 10-day travel period.
The fee does not guarantee you will fly. If TSA cannot verify your identity, you are turned away without a refund.
Roughly 94 percent of travelers hold a REAL ID. The remaining share works out to a large number of people annually.
Southwest Airlines ended open seating on January 27, 2026, after more than 50 years, moving to assigned seats.
Carry-on rules have tightened too
Several airlines have gotten stricter about bag sizing.
Some now require carry-ons to be checked for size at the departure gate immediately before boarding, with excess fees for anything over the limit.
Most major carriers use similar dimensions, though Southwest allows slightly larger bags than most.
Digital IDs continue expanding. More than 250 TSA checkpoints now accept state driver’s licenses stored in Apple, Google, or Samsung Wallet, though only about 15 states currently support the feature. International travelers cannot use digital IDs, since foreign passports cannot be stored in U.S. digital ID formats.
What to do before your next trip
A few things worth handling in advance.
Get a REAL ID or carry a passport for every domestic flight. The $45 fee is avoidable, and you could be turned away.
Measure your carry-on against your specific airline’s published dimensions rather than assuming they match across carriers.
And when comparing airfares, check the total at checkout rather than the headline number. That advice holds regardless of what the DOT decides, and it will matter more if the rule changes.
For families flying to Orlando or Anaheim, the fee and bag changes add up faster than they do for a solo traveler. Four people without REAL IDs is $180 before anyone reaches a gate.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
AirGuide (August 25, 2026), the DOT proposal status, the comment period extension, and the industry groups requesting it
The Travel (2026), the TSA ConfirmID fee structure and the carry-on gate-check policies
Travel and Tour World (2026), the ConfirmID no-refund caveat and the Southwest open seating end date
TravelTourister (January 2026), the REAL ID compliance rate and the digital ID state list