Automatic refunds for major flight disruptions, free seats for families, and improved accessibility.
The bill Congress passed Wednesday to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration for another five years includes these benefits for travelers. After months of back-and-forth and several short-term extensions, the bill will now head to President Biden's desk for signature.
The FAA oversees all air traffic in the United States, and the bill that Biden has indicated he intends to sign would provide $105 billion to the FAA and $738 million to the National Transportation Safety Board. It becomes. In addition to improving passenger protection, the agency will also pay for airport infrastructure, salaries and safety programs, and work to address the air traffic controller shortage.
Jeff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, called the redesign “a major step toward significantly improving the travel experience.”
He added, “The measures included in the bill will modernize airport technology, expand the air traffic control workforce, and invest in additional improvements to our nation's airports and air travel systems to reduce delays, cancellations, and other travel delays.” This will address the above problems,” he added.
Here are some highlights of the bill for travelers.
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Automatic refund: The bill codifies the Department of Transportation's rules for automatic refunds to passengers if a flight is significantly delayed or canceled (more than three hours for domestic flights and more than six hours for international flights). You do not need to request these refunds. Also, the airline credit he must be valid for 5 years.
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Biometrics in airport security: Despite efforts in the Senate to suspend the Transportation Security Administration's facial recognition program, the amendment did not make it into the final bill. The TSA plans to expand its use of facial recognition technology at hundreds of airports across the United States.
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Other round-trip flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport: Five additional long-haul round-trip flights per day are scheduled to operate at Reagan National Airport, a topic of heated debate during negotiations on the bill. Opponents argued that the already congested airport could not support additional flights.
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Free family seating: Airlines cannot charge extra fees for families with small children to sit together. The bill would also require the Department of Transportation to create a dashboard comparing minimum seat sizes on U.S. airlines.
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Penalties for airline violations: The Department of Transportation's civil penalties for consumer violations will triple from $25,000 to $75,000 per violation.
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Accessibility for travelers with disabilities: The bill would require airline personnel to be trained in handling power wheelchairs, allow travelers to request seats tailored to their disabilities, and create a new FAA program specifically designed to improve accessibility at commercial airports. is planned to be established.
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air traffic control: As the shortage of air traffic controllers continues, crashes and other safety incidents are on the rise. The bill includes measures such as setting goals to maximize the hiring of new air traffic controllers and increasing access to advanced control tower simulation training.
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