We’re issuing the newsletter early, before the big vote Tuesday in the House Transportation Committee – so our members can call their Congressional representatives.Especially those on the Committee (below) to support strengthening amendments and air travel reform as set forth in the FlyersRights Airline Passenger Bill of Rights.

Open to the Public:

Switchboard operator:
(202) 224-3121

The bipartisan H.R. 2997 is a six-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that, most notably, includes a provision to spin-off our air traffic control (ATC) service from the FAA.

Big Concerns:

Private pilots and business aviation groups have been strongly against the legislation, calling it a giveaway of authority of the country’s ATC system to an entity governed by private interests.

The bill also seeks to reverse our hard-fought Full Fare in Advertising Rule -which would negatively impact consumers. Flyers Rights pushed for this legislation’s passage in 2012 – which requires airlines to prominently display the total ticket price in ads and online, including all government taxes and fees.But the airlines crave bait-and-switch advertising – that is, highlighting the cheaper base price and obscuring the government taxes and fees until the end of the ticket purchase.

Bowing and scraping to the big-moneyed airlines, the House Transportation Committee is on the verge of undermining years of FlyersRights’ hard work, and regressing back to the days of deceptive marketing practices.

On ATC, Flyers Rights is concerned the bill would disrupt modernization projects already underway and become a political handout to an industry with a track record of treating customers badly.

Finally, the bill lacks any passenger representation on the board. Thismeans taxation without representation, (by a corporation instead of Congress).Passengers and airlines presently pay over $50 billion annually for air traffic control through ticket taxes and jet fuel taxes, and that would be expected to increase over in the next 10 years with user charges, while the taxes could remain.

Don’t Just Complain
Don’t just blame
Call now
This is the Time, It Really Counts!