U.S. Reps. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) and Albio Sires
(D-NJ) recently introduced a bill that would require airlines to disclose when certain domestic passenger flights are projected to take off and land.
Under the bill, airlines would be required to provide passengers with an estimate of the period between the actual wheels-off and wheels-on times for flights.
In addition, airlines would need to publicly display this information.
The U.S. Secretary of Transportation would be required to issue regulations to airlines.
“When airline passengers go to purchase tickets, they deserve to know the actual times the flights they are considering will take off and land,” Payne, Jr. said. “This bill ensures that consumers have that information so they can make informed decisions about their travel plans and have a better overall experience.”
The bill would provide millions of Americans with common sense information, Sires said.
Payne and Sires are members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Airline complaints jumped 70 percent to 1,909 in April, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), following several high profile incidents with airlines.
DOT has started a website highlighting passenger protections, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao told Congress earlier this month, but DOT does not endorse any new customer protection legislation.