@ISIDEWITHQuestionstransportationStarted 3wks agoActive 3 days ago

Should the government regulate airline frequent flier programs?

In September 2024 the U.S. Transportation Department began an investigation into U.S. airline’s frequent flier programs. The department's inquiry centers on practices that it describes as potentially unfair, deceptive or anti-competitive, with a focus on four areas: changes to the value of points that the agency said can make it more expensive to book tickets using rewards; lack of fare transparency through dynamic pricing; fees for redeeming and transferring rewards; and reduction in competition among programs due to airline mergers.  “These rewards are controlled by…  

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 10.5k America voters.

32%
Yes
68%
No
32%
Yes
68%
No

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @9TTJ42B from North Carolina answered…3wks3W

There shouldn't be a rewards program, period. It insinuates that they care more about people who fly regularly than ones that don't. It inherently shows their bias, that being their greed for money.

 @994HTZC  from Illinois answered…3 days3D

Yes, for example, if someone has been a rewards member with an airline frequent flier program, but then got put on the no fly list because of their actions, they should be removed from an airline's frequent flier program.

 @9VBFWKH from Wisconsin answered…6 days6D

There shouldn't be an incentive to fly all the time in the first place. In some cases it might be for a job or personal reasons but it shouldn't exist in the first place. The Government should just regulate and produce a cleaner alternative for flying.

 @9V785GY from Washington answered…1wk1W

Not as it stands right now, but if there ever becomes and industry-wide issue regarding implementation of frequent flier programs, then I would understand the regulation.

 @9V3LR7R from Oregon answered…2wks2W

Yes, but only to prevent customers from receiving too little for how much they spend on the airline.

 @9TRXC4G from California answered…3wks3W

Yes, but the authority of the Department of Transportation to do so should be reserved for a case by case basis

 @ProudJew  from Tennessee answered…3wks3W

A sustainable solution would involve light government regulation focused on transparency and fairness, ensuring airlines clearly communicate changes to frequent flier programs and give advance notice before implementing them. Basic standards for earning, redeeming, and expiring points would make it easier for consumers to compare programs, while flexible expiration policies would protect active users. This approach protects consumers from unfair changes while still allowing airlines the flexibility to innovate and remain profitable in a competitive market.

 @9TRCNFV from Pennsylvania answered…3wks3W

Yes but not by the government and outside 3rd party who's fair the government shouldn't be in every single affair

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Abandon Harris campaign endorses Jill Stein

The “Abandon Harris” group pushing for voters to protest Vice President Harris over the conflict in Gaza is endorsing the Green Party’s Jill Stein in the presidential race. The group, formerly known as “Abandon Biden,” is calling on Muslim Americans and others frustrated with the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war to cast their ballots for the long-shot third-party bid. “Our movement remains dedicated to ensuring that the American people, especially the Muslim-American community, recognize the responsibility we share in standing up against oppression and using all our power to stop genocide — wherever it may arise. On the precipice of the election, we endorse Jill Stein,” the group said in a release.Stein, who also ran for the White House in 2012 and 2016, has little chance of being truly competitive this fall. She’s not on the ballot or lodging a write-in campaign in a dozen states, according to a tracker from her campaign, and a recent New York Times/Siena College survey of a handful of key battlegrounds had her polling at just 1 percent.But her candidacy could act as a potential spoiler to Harris’s fast-tracked bid amid a tight race between the vice president and former President Trump, drawing votes in vital swing states where the two major party candidates are separated by a hair. Democrats have long been frustrated by the Green Party, and Stein was seen as something of a spoiler to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign against Trump.

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