If you’ve flown domestic in the U.S. in the last four years, you’ve likely faced at least one or two flight delays or cancellations — or worse, complete system outages — and found yourself footing the bill, without recourse from the airlines.

But there’s potential relief on the horizon: The White House is working full steam ahead on a proposed rule that would require U.S. airlines to provide compensation to passengers for controllable cancellations or delays of three hours or more. It may be issued as early as January 2025 and is expected to be a game changer for U.S. passengers and the U.S. aviation industry.

"This is not radical — we are late to the game on this as a country,” says Michael Negron, special assistant to the president for economic policy at the White House, speaking at an invitation-only meeting in Washington on Sept. 10.