Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) recently spoke out against a recommendation by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to reduce the number of required training hours for copilots.
Current regulations require 1,500 training hours.
“There are times when we put our lives in the trust of other people,” Blumenthal said. “None is more solemn and serious than when we get in an airplane. We really have to be able to trust those pilots.”
The committee approved two amendments proposed by Blumenthal: A provision requiring the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address contaminated cabin air and develop technology to prevent contaminated air, and a provision requiring the Government Accountability Office to study the impact of shrinking airplane lavatories.
Three other provisions also were approved. The FAA will be required to study the impact of shrinking seat size in emergency situations. The FAA also would be required to set a minimum seat size.
More detailed passenger rights would be required to be published on the Department of Transportation’s website. Information on airline customer service also would be included.
Lastly, airlines would be required to provide employees adequate rest time.
In June, Blumenthal and Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) introduced the Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights designed to protect passengers.