{"id":1220,"date":"2016-03-21T16:21:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-21T16:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/faa_reauth_provisions\/"},"modified":"2020-12-14T21:51:21","modified_gmt":"2020-12-14T21:51:21","slug":"faa_reauth_provisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/faa_reauth_provisions\/","title":{"rendered":"National Consumers League calls on Senate to add additional consumer protection provisions to FAA Reauthorization Act – National Consumers League"},"content":{"rendered":"

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March 21, 2016<\/p>\n

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Contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang,\u00a0cindyh@nclnet.org<\/a>, (202) 207-2832<\/p>\n

Washington, DC\u2014The National Consumers League (NCL) today called on Congressional leaders to build on the bipartisan support for pro-consumer amendments to the Senate\u2019s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act as the bill moves toward a vote on the floor of the Senate.<\/p>\n

Last week, thanks to the diligent work of Senators Blumenthal, Klobuchar, Markey, and Nelson, the Senate Commerce Committee passed a FAA Reauthorization Act that includes many pro-traveler provisions that address concerns consumers have voiced for years. Requirements including airlines refund baggage fees when luggage arrives late, increased fee disclosure rules, and improvements to the Department of Transportation (DOT) complaint process are all provisions of the bill that will improve the flying experience for millions of travelers. However, there remain many serious issues that need to be addressed as the bill moves toward a floor vote. <\/span><\/p>\n

In particular, NCL urges the full Senate to improve the bill by passing pro-consumer amendments like <\/span>Senator Markey\u2019s FAIR Fees Act<\/span><\/a>, which received bipartisan support to prohibit air carriers from imposing fees that are \u201cnot reasonable and proportional\u201d to the costs incurred by the air carriers. The Senate should also approve Senator Schumer\u2019s proposal to <\/span>require the FAA to establish minimum seat and seat pitch size standards.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIndustry consolidation, cheap fuel, packed planes, and a never-ending list of fees have combined to drive airline industry profits to historic levels,\u201d said Sally Greenberg, NCL executive director. \u201cThe Senate Commerce Committee took the first step, and now it\u2019s time for the full Senate to step in and ensure that the industry\u2019s profits are not coming at the expense of consumers\u2019 safety and pocketbooks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FAA Reauthorization Act is also an important opportunity for the Senate to act on NCL\u2019s recommendations that additional consumer protections be mandated to protect the flying public including:<\/p>\n