Travel Groups to Boehner: Remove H.R. 4156 From Short List

The Business Travel Coalition, backed by the American Society of Travel Agents and more than 80 other travel-related groups and businesses, today delivered a letter to Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner, asking that House Resolution 4156 – the Transparent Airfares Act of 2014 – be removed from the list of bills to be considered before Congress goes into recess in August.

BTC, a travel advocacy group based in Radnor, Pa., says it has learned the controversial bill will be included on the Suspension Calendar, though Congress has not confirmed that.

Normally, the Suspension Calendar is used to suspend conventional rules of procedure so that Congress might more quickly pass non-controversial bills. The Transparent Airfares Act of 2014 is hardly non-controversial.

The Transparent Airfares Act of 2014 “declares that it shall not be an unfair or deceptive practice for an air carrier or other covered entity to state the base airfare in an advertisement or solicitation for passenger air transportation if it clearly and separately discloses: (1) the government-imposed taxes and fees for the air transportation, and (2) its total cost.”

However, groups like BTC believe this is a "bait-and-switch" tactic that benefits airlines which would not have to divulge the entire price of a ticket in one fell swoop.

Here is the text of the letter, and the groups that signed it, sent today.

Dear Speaker Boehner,

We the undersigned have learned that highly controversial H.R. 4156, the Transparent Airfares Act of 2014, is on the short list in the House for inclusion on the suspension calendar prior to the August recess. H.R. 4156 is contentious legislation that would harm millions of consumers by reversing a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rule implemented in 2012 as a cure to misleading airline advertising. We urge you not to include H.R. 4156 on the suspension calendar.

Travel industry and consumer groups were not alerted to the prospect of this legislation nor were they provided any opportunity for input. H.R. 4156 was rushed by voice vote through the House Transportation Committee on April 9, 2014 after just 9 minutes of discussion. There were no public submissions or debate. The haste that has accompanied this bill, with no hearings at which other stakeholders would have had an opportunity to inform Congress of their views and the flaws in this bill, is regrettable.

Now after steamrollering the bill through Committee, airlines seek to subvert the suspension calendar procedure. There is not one consumer group or business travel organization that supports this legislation; most have publicly criticized the process and the bill. This is not the harmonious naming of a federal building - the type of bill the suspension calendar is normally used for - but rather, H.R. 4156 arguably represents one of the most controversial aviation bills in a generation.

Indeed, The New York Times Editorial Board on April 22 criticized the bill in an editorial saying: "This push to mislead consumers is particularly galling since recent mergers, like that of American Airlines and US Airways, have made the industry less competitive." Likewise, the Washington Post reported on April 24: “Consumers have reacted to this bill in the same way their advocates have: They’re dead-set against it.” 

This legislation is blatantly anti-consumer and serves no purpose, in our view, other than to mislead consumers about the real price of airfare. We urge you not to include this bill on the suspension calendar but rather insist on travel industry and consumer groups’ input and proper deliberation of this highly controversial legislation.

Sincerely,

American Society of Travel Agents
Air Passengers Association of India
Association for Airline Passenger Rights
National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance
Business Travel Coalition
Philips
Kellogg Company
Rich Products Corporation
HealthCare California
Cannon Design
DynCorp International
Eaton Corporation
Ad Hoc Committee
FC USA, Inc.
Itron, Inc.
Lumbermens Merchandising Corp.
Purcell Systems, Inc.
Crowe Horwath LLP
Global Travel Biometrics LLC
Dollar Tree
The Delta Companies
University of Delaware
Spokane International Airport
Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority
Crowne Plaza Old Town
The Travel Team
Hickory Global Partners, LLC
World Travel, Inc.
Balboa Travel Management
Travel Store
The Travel Company Edinburgh
Adelman Travel
GlobalPoint Travel Solutions
MSP Travel Group
UNIGLOBE Plus Travel Group
Travel Leaders/Travelmore
A & I Travel Management, Inc.
Maquet CV
Nomad Travels
Accent Travel, Austin, TX
ADA Travel
Aker Solutions
Alexander Travel
Anthony Travel
Antietam Travel Service, Inc.
Berger Travel Agency, Inc.
Berkeley's Northside Travel
Carroll Travel
Changing Planes
Charlie Brown's Goodtime Travel
Colpitts World Travel
Corniche Travel Group
Corporate Travel Management
Cresta World Travel
Event Solutions International
Five Star Travel
Fox World Travel
Geraci Travel
Global Travel Management/CLG
Hidden Treasure Tours, Inc.
HNL Travel Associates
John S Stow Consulting, LLC
LLP Travel, Inc.
LXR Travel LLC
Mann Travels
Options Travel
Paradise Travel Planners
Points South
Redfern Travel
Global Travel
WorldTravelService
Stephens
Sun Travel
Sustainable Travel Company
Sutherland Global Services
Table Mountain Travel Service, Inc.
Tower Travel Management
Acendas
TDR
The Expedition Development Company, Inc.
Tier One Travel, Inc.
Travel Management Options
Travel Solutions, Inc. / dba TS24
Traveline Travel Agencies, Inc
Travelmore
Travel Management Partners, Inc.
Up and Away Travel
Viatur Travel Services
El Sol Travel, Inc.
Far Horizons Travel, LTD