NCL urges Congress to strengthen consumer protections against aviation cyber incidents
September 18, 2024
Media contact: National Consumers League – Melody Merin, melodym@nclnet.org, 202-207-2831
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, NCL Vice President John Breyault testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation. The hearing examined cybersecurity threats to the air travel industry and the impacts that these disruptions have on passengers. The Committee’s inquiry follows recent disruptive events in air travel stemming from digital vulnerabilities, such as last month’s cyberattack on Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and the mass outage attributed to a CrowdStrike update in July.
“When cybersecurity incidents occur in the airline industry, consumers are often the ones who suffer most,” stated Breyault. “Flights are delayed or canceled, personal information is compromised, and families can find themselves stranded for days without recourse.”
Despite the surge in digital threats targeting the aviation sector, key safeguards remain absent. In his testimony, Breyault urged Congress to take steps to reduce the risk of cyber incidents and to mitigate the harm to passengers when such mishaps occur.
Specifically, NCL advocated for Congress to:
- Establish comprehensive data security standards to provide a baseline of protection for the data consumers routinely share when flying;
- Enact legal protections against hacking, fraud, and theft for the billions of dollars in airline rewards that consumers earn, store, and redeem each year; and
- Codify the U.S. Department of Transportation’s authority to implement delay compensation requirements for airlines, minimizing out-of-pocket costs for passengers needing food, drink, lodging, and alternative transportation during a flight disruption.
Breyault’s full written testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee can be found here.
More information on NCL’s recent work to protect the flying public can be found below.
- Consumer groups welcome protections in FAA reauthorization agreement, urge continued improvements
- Passenger advocates hail DOT rules on automatic refunds and fee transparency
- Consumer groups call for moratorium on smaller airplane seats pending FAA safety review
- NCL applauds DOT for proposed passenger compensation requirements
The Senate hearing can be viewed here.
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About the National Consumers League (NCL)
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.
