by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:00 PM ET, Mon April 23, 2018
The United States House of Representatives filed several amendments for the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Bill Thursday, including a focus on pet-transport standards in the airline industry.
After Congress delayed the FAA reauthorization twice over the last year, the new deadline has been set to approve the long-term extension by September 30. Before the deadline, members of the House offered several amendments for consideration.
One of the amendments making the most waves would require the FAA to enact a set of rules that would standardize the treatment of pets transported on planes, including the banning of animals being stored in overhead compartments.
The amendment was added after United Airlines faced backlash due to the death of a dog that a flight attendant forced its owner to put in an overhead bin. The dog was discovered dead when the plane landed at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
The amendment reads," Not later than one year from the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall promulgate regulations that standardize the treatment of animals aboard airlines. In no case may the storage of a live animal in an overhead compartment be permitted."
In addition, some of the other changes to the FAA Reauthorization Bill include dueling perimeter-rule amendments related to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the enforcement of the rule requiring pilots to log 1,500 hours of flight time before being allowed to work as a co-pilot on a commercial aircraft.
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