The U.S. Department of Transportation has updated its Passenger Bill of Rights and the new rules are good for the common flyer. Highlights include the fact that, when the new rules start in a few months, airlines will not be able to keep international flights on the tarmac for more than four hours and they'll have to reimburse luggage fees for lost lost luggage. Also the amount of money you are eligible for if you are involuntarily bumped from a flight is being doubled.
There are some catches to the new rule changes though. While airlines are now required to refund any fee they charge you if your bag is lost, they only have to do it if it is totally lost. If they damage it or take their time getting it back to you, they don't have to refund anything beyond what they already provide.
And the new time limit for international flights (created because of the unending waits passengers experienced after the Boxing Day Blizzard) only counts when there aren't "safety, security or air traffic control-related reasons" for a plane to sit on the tarmac for more than four hours. However! When you are stuck on the tarmac, airlines are now required to make sure you have access to working bathrooms and potable water.
Other interesting new rules include one requiring airlines to "prominently disclose all potential fees on their websites, including but not limited to fees for baggage, meals, canceling or changing reservations, or advanced or upgraded seating." And? Post-purchase fare increases are now banned (unless they are due to a government-imposed tax or fee and only then after the passenger is notified and agrees), airlines have to notify consumers of delays of over 30 minutes in the boarding gate area, on their phone lines and on their website, and, finally, airlines are now required to allow reservations to be held at a quoted price without payment, or cancelled without a penalty, for at least 24 hours from when the reservation is made (as long as it was a week or more before departure).
