Gore announces passenger rights legislation
House subcommittee hears from disgruntled passengers
March 10, 1999
Web posted at: 11:59 a.m. EDT (1159 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Vice President Al Gore proposed
broader rights for air passengers during a White House event Wednesday, including higher
compensation for botched trips and greater disclosure
of airline policies.
Gore's proposals came just hours after the House aviation subcommittee opened hearings in Washington
on an airline passengers' bill of rights.
Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater accompanied
Gore in announcing the proposals for expanded
passenger rights. Slater told CNN Wednesday morning that the administration
wants "fairness for consumers," as well as, "full
disclosure."
"They should know whether a flight is delayed or
canceled. In many instances airlines know that within
hours of a scheduled departure. If they have the kind
of information for passengers, phone numbers and
alike, they should be contacted," Slater said.
Double the money for bumped passengers
possible
The proposed administration legislation would require airlines to double minimum compensation for passengers bumped from
oversold flights and for lost baggage.
It would also make airlines publicly disclose policies
on flight cancellations and provisions for handling
delays, and file monthly reports on passenger
complaints.
Airlines would be required to respond to all written
complaints within 60 days, to provide refunds within a
specific time limit and to do everything possible to
return lost baggage within 24 hours.
Furthermore, under new regulations to be imposed by
the government Wednesday, airlines must disclose to
ticket buyers any "code-sharing" arrangements they
have with other airlines and requirements to change
planes to a different carrier.
Under code-sharing deals, an airline sells a ticket
under its own name for a flight on a partner airline.
Airlines experience record profits as complaints
rise
Slater told CNN that the airline industry has achieved
record profits, improved on-time performance, and had
its safest year yet in 1998. With that, he said, the time has come for greater
consumer rights.
"We think that there has to be a balance, and we're
going to work with the industry, with Congress, and
with the American people to try and strike that
balance," he said.
The Transportation Department has said it received
9,606 complaints about airlines in 1998, a 25 percent
increase from 1997. During the same period, the number
of passengers on major U.S. airlines rose to an
estimated 615 million from 600 million.
The momentum for government intervention to make life
easier for passengers was accelerated by two recent
incidents involving major airlines.
In January, Northwest Airlines passengers sat for up
to eight hours inside planes in Detroit during
a snowstorm. Passengers from those flights were expected to testify in the House subcommittee hearing Wednesday.
Last month, hundreds of thousands of passengers were
inconvenienced or stranded by a pilot stoppage at
American Airlines.
Some air-travel groups have expressed concern that
financial penalties could compromise safety by
encouraging airlines to disregard potential problems
that would delay a flight.
Reuters Limited contributed to this report.
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