A pair of bills filed in Washington on Wednesday and
Thursday would offer new consumer protections to airline customers.
The SEAT Egress in Air Travel Act, unveiled Thursday, would
direct the FAA to establish minimum standards on the width of commercial
aircraft seats as well as the distance between rows.
The bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Steve Cohen
(D-Tenn.), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Subcommittee, and by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R.- Ill.)
In the Senate, five Democrats are sponsoring the
legislation, including minority leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Airlines have reduced legroom and added seats to some
aircraft in recent years, seeking to maximize the earning potential of each
plane. The bill’s sponsors say that when air passengers are squeezed too tightly
it increases the evacuation time of an aircraft and can elevate the risk that a
passenger will be afflicted with a blood clotting condition called deep vein
thrombosis.
Scientific studies, however, have mainly shown that travel
in general can cause deep vein thrombosis, whether the conveyance is a plane,
train or automobile.
The Senate and the House rejected similar measures last
year.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Rep. Rick Larsen, (D-Wash.) and Rep.
Peter DeFazio, (D-Ore.), the lead Democrat on the House transportation committee,
filed a bill that would require airlines to divulge as a matter of policy how
they will assist customers whose travels are disrupted by a widespread computer
system outage.
Under the bill, called the Know Before You Fly Act, airlines
would have to state clearly on their websites whether in such circumstances
they will provide hotel accommodations, ground transportation and meal
vouchers. They’d also have to reveal which air carriers they will work with to
provide alternative transportation.
The proposal comes after a year in which U.S. airlines were
plagued by computer outages. Most notably, Delta last August cancelled 2,100
flights over four days due to an outage. And last July, a computer glitch
forced Southwest to cancel 2,300 flights over four days.
The Larsen-DeFazio bill would also require airlines to
include baggage fees in all internet fare quotations for a specific itinerary.
On March 2, the DOT suspended the comment period for an
Obama administration proposal to require airlines and ticket agents (including
travel agents) to disclose baggage from the beginning of a fare inquiry.
The Obama DOT put the proposal forward just three days
before the inauguration of President Trump.
The DOT said it suspended the process to "allow the
president's appointees to review and consider this action."
Both newly proposed bills could end up being considered
during the debate over a bill to reauthorize the FAA’s funding, which expires
on Sept. 30.