US Government Agrees to Details of FAA Reauthorization Bill

30.04.2024 - 18:48 / travelpulse.com / North America / Ted Cruz / Maria Cantwell / Donald Wood

Several high-ranking members of the United States government have reached an agreement on a final bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for five years.

The legislation comes after months of negotiations between Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas), House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) The legislation heads to the Senate floor this week.

The new reauthorization bill prioritizes investments in strengthening aviation safety standards, enhancing consumer protections, advancing technology and innovation, and building a modern, well-trained, safety-centric workforce.

As part of the new legislation, the FAA would receive more than $105 billion in appropriations for fiscal years 2024 through 2028, while the NTSB will be allotted $738 million for the same period.

“By getting a five-year reauthorization agreement for both FAA and NTSB, Congress is showing that aviation safety and stronger consumer standards are a big priority,” Senator Cantwell said. “More FAA safety inspectors, mandates on near miss technology and 25-hour cockpit voice recorders, and FAA upgrades to its systems ensure the gold standard in safety.”

“It is also the first major upgrade to air traffic controller hiring in decades,” Cantwell continued. “Plus, it sets into law for the first time the right to a refund when flights have been cancelled or delayed more than three hours.”

Some of the changes implemented in the reauthorization include requiring 25-hour cockpit recording devices for aircraft, adding situational awareness technologies to avoid runway close calls, and implementing maximum hiring targets to increase air traffic controller staffing.

After years of controversy with Boeing, the bill also outlines new transparency, oversight and accountability requirements to promote full compliance with FAA safety standards for designing and manufacturing aircraft.

The legislation also mirrors the airline refund message sent out by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) when it announced that American carriers must provide “automatic cash refunds” within days of a flight being delayed significantly or outright canceled.

For a full list of changes in the FAA reauthorization bill, check out the government’s website. 

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.