Air fares are high. Flight delay and cancellation numbers are rising. Ancillary fees —checked bags, seat selection and other charges — have never generated more revenue. Seat sizes in the back of the plane? Getting smaller. But the number of seats added? Growing. And the number of flight attendants on many flights? Decreasing.

Where is the U.S. Department of Transportation? The agency supposed to regulate airlines for safety and protecting passenger rights? Are they actively enforcing safety and protecting passenger rights? Hardly.

For almost two years, the DOT has either slow-walked or killed a proposed passenger bill of rights, or has issued new rules — the latest of which are coming out in less than a week — to weaken already weak passenger protections. It amounts to a huge rollback of safety protections, oversight and consumer rights.

This is all being compounded by unrealistic flight scheduling and undisclosed or misleading fees. Other junk fees, as well as the mishandling of wheelchairs — and let's not forget those airline delays, disruptions and cancellations — add to it as well. And we’re just getting started.

Let’s review what has happened so far. In the last few months of the Biden administration, the DOT proposed a new (and for that matter, the first) Airline Passenger Bill of Rights.