DOT completes data protection review of major U.S. Airlines, finds no violations

The U.S. Department of Transportation finished a data protection review of the ten largest airlines, issuing a memo on 4 September that reported no violations of laws or department guidelines.

The review, launched by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in March 2024, reminded airlines to avoid pricing based on individual data, to protect passenger information, and to prevent unlawful discrimination in dynamic pricing, while Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Shontel Brown criticized the department’s approach and alleged that a joint airline database had been used to sell passenger data to the IRS without court oversight.