5 aviation topics to watch in 2025: Boeing, flight refunds and more

Well friends, we have made it to the end of another year, and what a year it has been.

In the aviation world, we saw the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorize numerous new consumer protections, from automatic refunds for canceled flights to a new rule to make travel safer and more dignified for wheelchair users. Not to mention a slew of merger decisions, and more and more attention is being paid to the dangers of turbulence and the continuing saga of what’s happening at Boeing today. Also drones?

I hope the drones disappear by 2025, and that we don’t have to worry about another FAA funding fight for at least a few more years, but many of these stories will continue.

Here are five things I’m paying attention to (and will most likely write about) in the new year.

1. What’s happening at Boeing?

Safety and supply chain issues at Boeing have been a major theme in recent years. The company submitted to increased regulatory scrutiny and made many commitments to improve safety and quality control at its factories.

I don’t think Boeing is going away – the simple fact is that Airbus, its main competitor, does not have sufficient production capacity on its own to absorb weak aircraft demand even if it wanted to – but it remains an open question how soon Boeing will be able to restore its production levels and whether it will ever regain its reputation as the undisputed leading aircraft manufacturer in the world.

In 2025, it will be important to continue to cut through the noise and remember that not every aviation incident involving a Boeing aircraft is Boeing’s fault, but it will also be important to see how the company is performing and whether there are any ongoing quality issues with new aircraft. planes as they roll off the line.

I don’t think it’s overly biased to say that we should all be advocating for Boeing to turn things around. It benefits the traveling public when airlines feel that there is real competition among aircraft manufacturers and when the average traveler doesn’t think about exactly what type of aircraft he or she is flying.

Cruise altitude of last week: Travel hacks don’t really exist, but there are ways to fly better.

2. Are the strengthened consumer protections permanent?

The Biden years were marked by a slew of new travel consumer protections, some of which, like automatic refunds for canceled flights, were signed into law.

But others are a little weaker, even if they are largely popular. A recently completed rule outlining protections for disabled travelers could theoretically be overturned.

The new Trump administration has indicated that it wants to take a more hands-off approach to regulating many industries, and that could mean eliminating some of the new rules if it is able to do so.

Outgoing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told USA TODAY in a recent interview that he is concerned about changes to some policies introduced during his term, but that he is not yet overly concerned about some of the most popular ones.

“When it comes to things like the refund rule, it’s not just a rule, it’s now a law. It is supported by the FAA reauthorization, which means that automatic reimbursement provisions are something that would require an act of Congress to undo, and that was done on a bipartisan basis,” he said. “This work enjoys such bipartisan support among the traveling public that undermining it would have real consequences.”

3. Will airline loyalty programs change?

Consumer advocates have said for years that airline loyalty programs are opaque and that companies have unilaterally made points less valuable and reward tickets harder to book.

The Department of Transportation recently opened an investigation into how these points are valued and whether airlines are doing anything untoward with their frequent flyer programs.

Republican administrations are generally seen as more business-friendly than Democratic administrations, so it’s not clear whether the research will yield any results under a Trump administration, but the data will be available and it will be interesting to see how, if at all, is acted upon.

Or perhaps airlines will continue to make small changes to their programs, making it more difficult and expensive to redeem points.

4. Will the FAA continue to hire?

Another major problem in recent years has been hiring at the FAA. Airlines in particular are keen to point the finger at staff shortages in control towers as a major cause of delays, especially during peak season.

Buttigieg told USA TODAY that the trend is starting to reverse, but he acknowledged that more controllers need to be hired before the problem goes away completely.

Will the new government continue these efforts in the new year?

5. Will more airline mergers be approved?

One of the biggest merger mishaps of 2024 was the end of JetBlue’s proposed partnership with Spirit Airlines. Since it was shot down, Spirit has filed for bankruptcy protection and JetBlue has launched its own turnaround plan to make the airline more consistent and profitable.

With a more business-friendly administration coming to Washington in the new year, will we see further consolidation in the airline sector? It remains to be seen – the sector is already quite small with only four major dominant players in the domestic market. If more airlines work together, what would it look like for travelers, and what would happen to ticket prices? It remains to be seen.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwicher@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 Airline Stories to Watch in 2025 | Cruise height