Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights
This bill expands protections for passengers in air transportation.
Among other things, the bill requires the Department of Transportation to implement regulations relating to
protections for airline passengers from being required to involuntarily relinquish their seats, unless necessary for safety or security;
the elimination of the dollar limitations on compensation to passengers denied boarding due to overbooking;
compensation to passengers for delayed or cancelled flights;
interline agreements between air carriers and other transportation providers;
training on the rights of passengers;
unreasonable air carrier fees;
unrestricted access of consumers to information on schedules, fares, fees, and taxes;
accuracy in pricing of tickets and disclosure of lowest fares; and
notifications to passengers of their rights and eligibility for refunds.
The Federal Aviation Administration must (1) prohibit any air carrier from reducing seat size or leg room, and (2) report on the quality of food and potable water on passenger aircraft and the sufficiency of flight crews and aircraft.
The bill provides a private right of action for passengers aggrieved by airline actions and increases civil penalties on air carriers for violations of passenger protections.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on July 30, 2019. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 30, 2019: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced it on July 30, 2019, and 4 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 4 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on July 30, 2019, 2645 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2645 days ago, on July 30, 2019.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers