US DOT proposes relaxing airline fare advertising prominence rules

The US Department of Transportation issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on 1 July 2026 to amend the Full Fare Rule, allowing airlines and ticket agents to display government taxes and other fare components with the same prominence as the total air fare price. This proposal eliminates prescriptive text limitations that currently prohibit fare components from appearing in the same or larger font size as the total price, while rescinding nine outdated guidance documents. Operators will gain operational flexibility to highlight tax portions without violating all-in pricing requirements, though the total cost must remain visible before purchase. The public comment period runs through 31 July 2026, with final adoption pending regulatory review and potential alternative repeal of the Full Fare Rule.