FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
NANCY IVES (202)224-7130 McCain
DAVE SELDIN (202)224-5244 Wyden
WYDEN, McCAIN ANNOUNCE BILL TO HELP AIRLINE PASSENGERS
MAKE INFORMED TRAVEL CHOICES
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and John McCain (R-AZ) announced the
bipartisan "Airline Passenger Fairness Act" (S.383) that would establish a
national policy to provide consumers with a basic expectation of fair treatment by
airlines and would also seek to encourage airlines to provide better customer service by
outlining minimum standards. Due to the Senate's recess today, the Senators will introduce
the bill on Saturday.
"Our bill is intended to address the rising tide of consumer complaints against
airlines," said McCain, "and ensure that passengers have the information they
need to make informed choices in their travel plans."
"Every American traveler has the right to the same kinds of basic protections when
they buy an airline ticket that they do at the corner grocery store. Senator McCain and I
want to make sure that our first-class aviation system doesn't give second-class service
any more," said Wyden, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and its Subcommittee
on Aviation.
Studies show the number of airline passengers will grow from about 600 million per year
today to about 1 billion by the year 2008. The legislation holds that if passengers are
denied any of the items of fair treatment as outlined in the bill, the denial constitutes
an unfair or deceptive practice on the part of the airline. The bill also requires the
Department of Transportation to include in its monthly Air Travel Consumer Report
information on which airlines are denying passengers the fair treatment outlined in the
bill, and on how many occasions.
Under the "Airline Passenger Fairness Act," air travelers would be able to:
Obtain a full refund of the purchase price of a ticket if the passenger requests it
within 48 hours of purchase;
Find out whether the flight on which that passenger is booked has been oversold;
Receive accurate information about an airline's frequent flyer program, including the
number of seats that can be redeemed on each flight, and the percentage of successful and
failed frequent flyer redemptions on each flight;
Use whatever portions of a ticket he or she chooses to use to get to his or her
destination;
Receive his or her checked baggage within 24 hours of a flight's arrival, unless
additional delays are reasonable;
Find out from an airline all of the fares that the airline offers, regardless of the
method used to access fares;
Receive prior notice when a scheduled flight will be delayed, if reasonable; and,
Receive accurate information about the reasons why a passenger's flight
has been delayed, canceled, or diverted to another airport.
Bill Summary Attached
THE AIRLINE PASSENGER FAIRNESS ACT
Every airline passenger is owed a set of basic protections:
Fair Warning If You Might Get Bumped -- Airlines must be willing to
tell passengers when a flight is oversold. Some airlines do not currently reveal this
information.
Refund within 48 Hours -- It is not unreasonable to ask for a refund within 48
hours of buying a ticket. Airlines would be required to permit it under this legislation.
Use Your Ticket As You See Fit -- Airlines may not stop passengers from using
portions of round-trip or multi-city tickets in whatever way the passenger chooses.
Currently, airlines try to stop passengers from using partial tickets to obtain lower
fares.
Information on All Available Fares -- Getting information about the myriad of fares
being charged on any given flight can be a herculean task today. Under this bill, airlines
must tell passengers who inquire about all of the fares that are being charged for a
particular flight, so that customers can make informed decisions.
Right to Know When Something's Wrong -- Airlines must provide passengers with all
reasons why flights are delayed, diverted, or canceled.
Useful Information About Frequent Flier Miles -- Today, it is difficult to compare
between frequent flier programs, because information on the number of frequent flier
tickets set aside for various flights is closely held. Airlines should be required to make
this information available.
Your Luggage Checked to Your Destination -- When airlines make agreements to issue
unified tickets for passengers who switch from one to another, they should be required to
switch the passengers baggage as well.
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