Congress tips

The U.S. Senate passed key government funding bills Friday evening — with one that included “up to $3.5 million of funding for the office of the assistant secretary of commerce for travel and tourism.

An engineer at Boeing claimed the plane maker dismissed repeated concerns about the quality control of the 787 Dreamliner and 777, some of the most used widebodies in the airline industry. 

Congress has set aside $50 million for the U.S. State Department to help “reduce passport backlogs and reduce visa wait times” in a bill signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday and praised by the travel industry this week.

The push to ban TikTok in the U.S. has again gained momentum – a move that would have enormous consequences for the travel industry. TikTok is one of the most popular marketing channels in the world.

A bipartisan introduced in the House of Representatives Friday is the latest effort to apply pressure on the travel industry to be more transparent in how it displays and markets so-called junk fees.

A U.S. government shutdown is looking more likely by the day as budget negotiations drag on in Congress. A shutdown would start Sunday, unless the government can reach a deal by the September 30 deadline. 

A U.S. government shutdown is looking more likely by the day as budget negotiations drag on in Congress. A shutdown would start next month, unless the government can reach a deal by the September 30 deadline. 

Hilton said on Thursday that it would “quickly” act to “ensure mandatory fees are displayed upfront on all Hilton websites and apps.”

More than 400 groups on Monday called on Congress to intervene in an ongoing railroad labor standoff that threatens to idle shipments of food and fuel and strand rail travelers while inflicting billions of dollars of economic damage.

The Biden administration has submitted draft legislation to Congress that would mandate airlines pay cash compensation for delays of three hours or more when carriers are responsible.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, June 15. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass its version of a crucial bill to reauthorize funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five more years. Next, the Senate needs to finalize its own version, and the two sides need to work out differences by September 30. Miss the deadline, and Congress would need to approve an extension.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, August 11. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

How easy is it for disgruntled airline customers to file a complaint with the DOT? Not easy enough, according to Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Los Angeles). And she places the blame for that difficulty squarely on the shoulders of the airlines.

Travelers who grumble that the airlines have gone too far in shrinking the width and legroom of coach-class seats won’t be getting any relief from Congress any time soon.

A new report from the House Homeland Security subcommittee reveals concerns over “inconsistent screening of airport employees,” according to CNN, along with “insufficient TSA access to intelligence information used to vet individuals and inadequate control of access to sensitive areas of airports.”

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill extending authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, which would otherwise expire on July 15. The bill is expected to be approved by the Senate as well.

This year’s ongoing security difficulties (read: long TSA wait times) are about to get a multi-million dollar fix. Earlier this month, Congress approved $28 million in funds to convert 2,784 part-time officers to full-time, which will open an additional 53 security lines nationwide. The funds will also expedite the hiring of 600 new officers before the end of September.

In his opening remarks before yesterday’s House Transportation Committee “Oversight of U.S. Airline Customer Service” hearing, committee chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) referred to two recent incidents: United’s forcible removal of a passenger on flight UA3411, and an American Airlines flight attendant’s tussle with a passenger over her child’s stroller.