FlyersRights.org

FlyersRights.org
Predecessor Coalition for an Airline Passengers Bill of Rights[1]
Formation December 29, 2006 (2006-12-29)[2]
Founder Kate Hanni[3]
Founded at Austin, Texas[2]
Type consumer organization
Legal status Nonprofit organization
Purpose Airline passenger rights
Services Political advocacy
Membership
40000[4]
President
 Paul Hudson[4]

FlyersRights.org is an American not-for-profit organization that supports legislation protecting the rights of airline passengers, improving visibility in the reporting of tarmac delays by commercial airlines[3] and distance between the rows of airline seats.[5]

It is the biggest non-profit consumer organization in North America representing passengers of commercial airlines.[6]

In 2011, FlyersRights.org pushed a rulemaking through the U.S. Department Of Transportation, which expanded on the passenger protections[7] issued in the 2009 - requiring airlines to reimburse passengers for bag fees if their bags are lost, provide consumers involuntarily bumped from flights with greater compensation, expand the current ban on lengthy tarmac delays, and disclose hidden fees.

Current Legislation

In 2015, FlyersRights.org drafted and filed a petition[8] to the U.S. Congress calling for the FAA to set guidelines for the minimum distance between rows in planes and appoint a committee to help develop benchmarks. Tens of thousands[9] signed their names to the petition.

In February 2016, Congressman Steve Cohen, (D-TN), introduced an amendment to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding bill called the Seat Egress in Air Travel which mandated a certain amount of legroom to passengers for safety, health and comfort. It was defeated[10] in the House Transportation Committee.[11]

Two weeks later Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) also added an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Bill requiring the agency to set the seat-size guidelines. In April 2016, The Senate voted down the amendment on a 54-to-42 vote, with most Democrats supporting the amendment and most Republicans opposed.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Tomorrow: Rep. Mike Thompson to Introduce Air Passenger Bill of Rights at Press Conference". The Business Journals. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Airline passengers’ bill(s) of rights take off". msnbc.com. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Airline passenger advocate's credibility under fire". travelweekly.com. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  4. 1 2 Los Angeles Times (23 December 2014). "Full flights make cancellations harder to rebook; new rules sought". latimes.com. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "A stretch too far". The Economist. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "FlyersRights.org Heralds Another Major Victory for Consumers: Fairness and Clarity in Fares... -- NAPA, Calif., Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --". prnewswire.com. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "U.S. Department of Transportation Expands Airline Passenger Protections". Department of Transportation. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "Airline seats". The Economist. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  9. ↑ "Support the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights". flyersrights.org. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  10. ↑ "Proposal to Standardize Airline Seat Size Shot Down - APEX - Airline Passenger Experience". APEX - Airline Passenger Experience. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  11. ↑ CNN, Thom Patterson. "Lawmaker loses war against small airline seats". CNN. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  12. ↑ "The Senate just voted against airplane legroom standards". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-04-30.

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, May 04, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.