David Shepardson and David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed a sweeping aviation bill late on Thursday aimed at increasing the air traffic controller workforce, increasing funding to prevent runway closure incidents and speeding up refunds for canceled flights.
The five-year, $105 billion measure reauthorizes the FAA. The bill would prohibit airlines from charging fees for housing families together, require aircraft to be equipped with 25-hour recording devices in the flight deck (up from the current two hours), and direct the FAA to use advanced ground technology at airports to help prevent collisions.
The bill adds five daily round-trip flights to the busy Washington National Airport and requires airlines to accept vouchers and credits for at least five years.
Efforts to improve aviation safety in the United States have taken on new urgency following a series of accidents and an emergency when an Alaska Airlines Boeing (NYSE:) 737 MAX 9 closed its door mid-air on January 5th.
The bill, which is expected to win final approval in the U.S. House of Representatives next week, does not raise the mandatory retirement age for pilots to 67, as lawmakers tried to do last year.
Earlier this week, lawmakers agreed to revise language to provide quick refunds to airline passengers whose flights are canceled, who bought non-refundable tickets and do not seek alternative flights.
The bill raises maximum civil penalties for airline consumer rights violations from $25,000 per violation to $75,000 and addresses a shortage of 3,000 air traffic controllers by directing the FAA to implement improved personnel standards and hire more inspectors, engineers and technicians.
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Congress will not set minimum seat size requirements, leaving it up to the FAA. The bill would require the Department of Transportation to create a dashboard that would show consumers the minimum seat size for each U.S. airline.
Congress also rejected many other consumer protection provisions sought by the Biden administration.
The bill also reauthorizes the National Transportation Safety Board and increases the agency’s safety investigation staff. It also aims to encourage the introduction of drones and flying air taxis into the national airspace and extends existing government anti-drone powers until October 1.