HUGE VICTORY FOR AIRLINE PASSENGERS!

COMMERCE COMMITTEE INCLUDES BOXER-SNOWE AIRLINE PASSENGERS BILL OF RIGHTS IN FAA REAUTHORIZATION
Bill Also Includes Snowe-Boxer Provisions to Strengthen Aviation Safety



July 14, 2009

Washington, D.C. -
U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) praised the Senate Commerce Committee for including their Airline Passengers Bill of Rights in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Bill introduced today.

The Airline Passengers Bill of Rights ensures that – at a minimum – travelers are not unnecessarily trapped on airplanes for excessive periods of time or deprived of food, water or adequate restrooms.

Senator Snowe said, "The government's priority when overseeing aviation?must be?safety.??The Passenger Bill of Rights?must?be the minimum standard for?the safety of?passengers.? The?airlines and the FAA?have failed to act, and?no less an authority than?the federal court system declared only the government can implement a comprehensive customer service regime.? Now, thanks to the Commerce Committee’s action, Congress is going to demand it."?

Senator Boxer said, "I thank the Commerce Committee for recognizing the need for this important legislation.? We are never going to be able to anticipate every problem or stop every delay, but we can ensure that airlines recognize passengers’ basic rights.? Passengers should never be trapped on airplanes for hours and hours without food, safe drinking water or working restrooms. "?

Provisions of the Airline Passengers Bill of Rights introduced by Senators Boxer and Snowe were included in last year’s FAA Reauthorization bill, which was passed by the Commerce Committee but blocked on the Senate floor.? This year, their bill is included in its entirety.

The Airline Passengers Bill of Rights would:

Require airlines to provide passengers with food, potable water, comfortable cabin temperature and ventilation, and adequate restrooms while a plane is delayed on the ground.

Require airlines to provide passengers with food, potable water, comfortable cabin temperature and ventilation, and adequate restrooms while a plane is delayed on the ground.
Require airlines to offer passengers the option of safely deplaning once they have sat on the ground for three hours after the plane door has closed.? This option would be provided every three hours the plane continues to sit on the ground.

Make airports and airlines develop contingency plans for delayed flights to be reviewed and approved by DOT.? The bill also allows the DOT to fine air carriers and airports that do not submit or fail to comply with contingency plans.

Direct the Department of Transportation (DOT) to create a consumer complaint hotline so that passengers can alert the agency about delays.

The bill provides two exceptions to the three-hour option: the pilot may decide not to allow passengers to deplane if he or she believes their safety or security would be at risk due to weather or other emergencies.? Additionally, the pilot may delay deplaning up to 30 minutes beyond the three-hour period if he or she reasonably believes the flight will depart within 30 minutes.

Boxer and Snowe first introduced the Airline Passengers Bill of Rights in 2007 following several incidents where passengers were forced to remain on airplanes for as long as 11 hours.? The case for federal action was strengthened when the U.S. Court of Appeals struck down a New York State law protecting passengers’ rights, saying only the Federal Government has the authority to enact such a law.

The FAA Reauthorization bill also includes key provisions of the Snowe-Boxer Ensuring One Level of Aviation Safety Act of 2009, legislation the Senators introduced following the tragic crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 outside of Buffalo, New York.? The FAA bill includes the following provisions to strengthen safety standards at regional airlines:

Require the FAA to perform random inspections at flight schools and regional airlines to ensure that training and safety standards are being enforced.

Require the FAA to perform random inspections at flight schools and regional airlines to ensure that training and safety standards are being enforced.
Improve current training standards for pilots and establish remedial and recurring training protocols.

Require the FAA to publicly provide NTSB with a notice of when and how the FAA will implement any NTSB recommendation.

And allow carriers immediate access to a pilot’s records, including failed flight checks, for the duration of their career.?

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