FAA Bill Passes Congress, Sent to President Biden to Sign

15.05.2024 - 22:05 / skift.com / Joe Biden / Ted Cruz / Maria Cantwell / Meghna Maharishi

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Bill, which will now codify automatic refunds and guaranteed family seating into U.S. law. 

The bill passed 387 to 26 on Wednesday and renews the FAA’s authority for the next five years, and it will now go to President Joe Biden’s desk. 

Typically, the FAA bill is able to pass without too much debate. But with issues ranging from outdated technology to the use of biometrics in airports, the bill was held up in Congress for over a year. 

Here’s what made it into the final version of the bill:

One of the biggest issues that caused the FAA bill to stall was a provision to add more long-distance flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The space-constrained airport already limits flights to those within a 1,250-mile radius of the airport. 

Forty flights are exempt from this rule, but some senators wanted to increase that number, arguing that it could give consumers more choices. 

Washington, D.C.-area senators were heavily opposed to the provision. However, the provision adding five more long-distance flights from DCA made it to the final version of the bill. 

Some senators, like Ted Cruz, the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, was in favor of increasing the number of long-distance flights at DCA. While others, like Senator Joe Manchin, expressed “concern” over changing the perimeter rule. 

Delta Air Lines and Spirit Airlines also advocated for increasing the DCA perimeter rule, while American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines were against the change.

The bill codifies the Department of Transportation’s automatic refunds rule, which was met with some pushback from the airline industry. Passengers will not need to make requests for refunds if their flights are significantly delayed or canceled. Travelers can only receive automatic refunds if they don’t accept an alternative flight option or if they don’t respond to a request for one. 

A previous version of the FAA bill stated passengers would need to make a written or electronic request for a refund, which made it unclear if the DOT would be able to enforce the rule. 

Senators Josh Hawley and Elizabeth Warren proposed an amendment to include automatic refunds, which gained bipartisan support in the Senate. 

“Statutory rights to refunds are a big win for consumers in this bill. Passengers can reject vouchers or alternative flights, and without hassle, get a refund,” Senator Maria Cantwell, the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, said May 7.

The bill also sets standards for airline travel credits, mandating that they cannot expire for at least five years, and also requires airlines to guarantee family seating