by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:30 AM ET, Fri June 23, 2017
United States Senators have announced the introduction of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2017, which will continue federal aviation programs through the fiscal year 2021.
Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) announced the new policy Thursday. Dubbed S. 1405, the FAA Reauthorization Act includes new consumer protections, helps passengers who need assistance during air travel and updates Department of Transportation rules as a result of recent high-profile airline incidents.
The new act also addresses issues with personal drone usage, including criminalizing reckless drone behavior, promoting safety and increasing privacy, as well as developing innovative uses.
"Our legislation focuses on enhancing safety, improving air travel for the traveling public, and reforms to help bring the future of aviation closer to reality," Senator Thune said in a statement. "To address eroding rural access to our air transportation system and delays created by congestion around our most populated corridors, our proposal seeks out new solutions benefiting all Americans who use or depend on air transportation."
"This is a good example of what can happen when Republicans and Democrats work toward the same goal," Senator Nelson said. "With this bill, we're putting the flying public first and insisting they receive better treatment from the airlines."
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In terms of airline safety, the reauthorization act improves requirements for the bulk transfer of lithium batteries and supports contract air traffic control towers. The legislation also allows general aviation airports more flexibility to facilitate infrastructure investment.
In addition to supporting contract air traffic control towers, the act will work to improve the FAA's transition to 21st-century air traffic control technologies known collectively as NextGen. The legislation will also increase funding for the Airport Improvement Program by $400 million to an annual level of $3.75 billion.
The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) responded with the following to Travel Pulse: "We are in the process of reviewing the House and Senate FAA reauthorization bills, which include provisions impacting our members. We support provisions in the bills to ban in-flight voice communications and to add a seat for independent travel distributors to the DOT's Advisory Committee on Aviation Consumer Protection.
"At the same time, we are concerned about the multiple proposed new consumer disclosures agents would have to make on top of the 7 or so they are responsible for today, as well as the House bill's inclusion of the so-called Transparent Airfares Act overturning the DOT full-price advertising rule.
"This is the first step of the process, and we intend to work with our members and Congress over the coming weeks and months to create a policy framework where consumers are fully protected in the travel marketplace and have access to the comparison shopping, unbiased advice, destination expertise and personal support that only an ASTA agent can provide."
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