Senate Passes $105 Billion Air Safety and Customer Service Bill in Bipartisan Vote

The Senate has passed a $105 billion bill aimed at enhancing air safety and improving customer service for air travelers. This legislation was passed a day before the law governing the Federal Aviation Administration was set to expire.

The bipartisan bill, which aims to address recent close calls between planes at the nation's airports, involves several key provisions:

• An increase in the number of air traffic controllers
• Improvement of safety standards
• Easier access to refunds for customers in case of flight delays or cancellations

Senate Approval and Future Steps

The bill was approved by the Senate with an 88-4 vote, and it now moves to the House for consideration. However, the House is currently out of session until next week. To prevent the FAA's law from expiring, the Senate also passed a one-week extension until the House can deliberate on the bill.

Initial hurdles with the bill arose when senators from Virginia and Maryland objected to a provision that would allow an additional 10 daily flights to and from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Despite attempts by other senators to add unrelated provisions, the bill was put to a vote after it became clear that amendments could not be agreed upon before its expiration.

Flight Safety and Legislation

The legislation comes at a crucial time when the FAA has been under scrutiny following its approval of Boeing jets involved in fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. The bill, which would govern FAA operations for the next five years, aims to implement new safety standards.

The bill includes several important provisions to enhance air travel safety and customer service:

• An increase in the number of air traffic controllers
• Implementation of new technology to prevent plane collisions on runways
• Requirement for new airline planes to have cockpit voice recorders capable of storing 25 hours of audio
• Improved customer service, including refunds for flight delays and cancellations
• Prohibition of extra charges for families to sit together
• Three-fold increase in maximum fines for airlines violating consumer laws
• Creation of a "dashboard" by the Transportation Department for consumers to compare seat sizes on different airlines

Impact of Expiration

If the law were to expire, around 3,600 FAA employees would face furloughs without a guarantee of back pay, and ongoing airport improvements would come to a halt. Although the safety of the flying public in "safety critical" positions, like air traffic controllers, would not be affected, the potential expiration of the law poses risks to travelers and federal workers.

Delays in Senate Passage

Delays in the Senate's passage of the bill were attributed to objections from Virginia senators regarding additional flights at Reagan National Airport. However, despite these delays, the bill eventually passed with a focus on improving air travel safety and customer service.

There have been differing viewpoints on the provision for additional flights at Reagan National Airport, with some advocating for increased flights and others highlighting safety concerns. The bipartisan bill has garnered support from lawmakers seeking to address air travel safety and customer service concerns.