By Eileen Ogintz
Happy New Year! Whether you are a once-a-year traveler or a frequent flier, 2025 brings changes to laws and regulations that may protect you when air travel goes awry as well as changes to the way some airlines do business. Also be on the look out for good travel deals and new places to explore this winter and beyond.
Thanks to new Consumer Protection Rules from the Department of Transportation, you are entitled to a refund when your flight is significantly delayed or cancelled, your luggage is delayed or the Wi-Fi you have paid for doesn’t work.
UPDATE: As if to prove the point, The Department of Transportation fined JetBlue Airways $2 million for “chronically delayed flights,” the first penalty of its kind, the DOT said Friday. JetBlue operated four routes that were delayed at least 145 times from June 2022 through November 2023, the DOT said.
Now under law airlines must offer refunds, not just vouchers, within seven days if the ticket was bought with a credit card and 20 business days otherwise if your domestic flight is delayed three hours or your international flight six hours. That’s assuming you don’t take the rebooked flight.
“Passengers get a refund only if they opt not to take the delayed flight or a rebooked flight. That’s what the law says,” said Teresa Murray, the Consumer Watchdog Director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
There is now mandatory 24/7 live customer service, vouchers that last five years and refunds for baggage fees when checked bags arrive 12 hours or more late for domestic flights after you arrive at the gate or 15-30 hours late for international flights, depending on the length of the flight.
There is a ban on fees for children to sit with a parent or adult travel partner (even if you have booked seats together, if there is a change of aircraft, the airline could have randomly put you and the kids in different rows or even sections of the plane).
There are also a dozen sections of the new law passed by Congress that focus on travelers who rely on wheelchairs or scooters, and passengers who have various disabilities.
All of the new consumer protections in this guide: New airline passenger rights explained.
Savvy consumers are also looking for ways to upgrade their travel experience, like using their credit card to gain access to airport lounges, like the Capital One Lounge at Denver International Airport while airlines are doing all they can to retain customers who aren’t sure their loyalty Is worth as much as it once was.
Southwest Airlines will assign seats and offer premium seating options in part to respond to customer preferences as well as to increase revenue. The airline has been known for its unique open seating model for more than 50 years but the airline reports that 80 per cent of Southwest customers and 86 per cent of potential customers prefer an assigned seat. When a customer elects to stop flying with Southwest and chooses a competitor, open seating is cited as the number one reason for the change, the airline said. Southwest expects roughly one-third of seats across the fleet to offer extended legroom at an extra fee. The change will take effect in early 2026, with tickets for flights with assigned seating going on sale in the second half of 2025.
Denver-based Frontier Airlines is introducing first-class seating, complimentary seat upgrades and more in the comping year. Launching in mid-2025, you can use miles for bags and seating upgrades.
Upgrading with miles, however, has gotten trickier as it often requires cash as well as miles on long haul flights. Read the fine print!
Certainly you want to get the best experience for your travel buck in 2025.
If you have a cruise in mind this year, Wave Season lasts until the end of March and offers some of the best cruise deals of the year—everything from reduced fares and deposits, onboard credit, and discounts for third and fourth guests. Holland America, and Princess Cruises, for example, is offering free kids fares when they are the third and fourth guests. Celebrity Cruises is touting up to 75 per cent off cruise fare for the second passenger in the cabin. Hurtigruten—we just returned from a terrific trip up the Norwegian Coast to see the Northern Lights– is offering discounts up to 25 per cent and a Northern Lights promise on select voyages. If the Northern Lights do not occur within sight of your ship during your voyage between Sept. 20 and March 31, they will give you a 6-day southbound or 7-day northbound Coastal Express voyage FREE.
CruiseCritic.com is a good site to compare deals and cruise lines. A travel advisor can help you sift through the deals and find the best one for your family.
Speaking of deals, if you want to head to the snow, there are many options where kids can ski free or at deeply discounted rates. Also look for airline deals. Those going to Park City Utah may be eligible for a $400 Delta credit voucher As long as they book a minimum 3-night stay at a participating lodging company by June 30, 2025. (There are some blackout dates)
Look for lodging and kids-free deals. At Aspen Snowmass, take your pick of four mountains and 5,700+ acres where kids ski free with lodging (valid Jan 1-April 20,2025.)Get a complimentary child lift ticket for every day of Four Mountain Sports equipment rentals when you book with at least 2 nights of participating lodging through Stay Aspen Snowmass. Book two or more nights at Keystone in Colorado and kids 12 and under get a day of free skiing (an additional day for each room night booked.)
Kids 12 and under get a FREE Power Kids season pass that’s good at all Power Pass mountains in the U.S. and Chile! It’s totally FREE – no purchase required, no blackout dates. Kids get unlimited skiing at Purgatory, Snowbowl, Brian Head, Sipapu, Pajarito, Nordic Valley, Lee Canyon, and Willamette Pass. Check out our Fun in the Snow Annual Ski Guide for more ideas!
Happy Travels in 2025!