<B> Washington Wire</B>
By Barbara Cook, Washington Correspondent
<B>FAA, NTCA Limit Fams</B>
The Air Transport Association has petitioned the U.S. Department of Transportation to delay until 2000 its codeshare disclosure rules, now scheduled to take effect this July 13. The rules will require airlines to identify the corporate name of the carrier actually providing the service, and mandate that airlines notify passengers if their flight includes a change of equipment at an intermediate stop. In seeking a delay, ATA argued that airlines and CRSs are behind schedule in their efforts to comply, due in part to the complexity of reprogramming software and the Y2K drain on IS resources.
<a name="2"><B>Car Rental Cos. To Be Relieved Of Liability?</B>
Legislation introduced in both the House and Senate would ensure that car rental companies are not held liable for accidents caused by customers. Currently, six states and the District of Columbia subject rental and leasing companies to unlimited liability for such accidents. According to Senate sponsor John McCain (R-Ariz.), claims against car rental companies cost the industry more than $100 million annually. "Companies and individuals should be held liable only for harm they caused or could have prevented," McCain said. The enormous cost of these suits is passed on directly to consumers, who should not have to pay when the companies were clearly not at fault, he added. McCain's bill, the Motor Vehicle Rental Fairness Act, emphasizes that rental companies still will be liable if negligence is proven.
<a name="3"><B>Maglev Trains Get Funding</B>
Federal grants totaling $12.2 million were approved for pre-construction planning for magnetic levitation high-speed ground transportation, DOT officials said. The Federal Railroad Administration has selected projects in California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Tennessee for funding. DOT is supporting the development of maglev systems, saying the advanced technology offers time- and cost-saving travel options in the 40- to 600-mile market. The system operates with a technology in which magnetic forces lift, propel and guide a vehicle over a guideway at speeds of up to 300 miles per hour.
<a name="4"><B>Visa Waiver Program Extends Reach</B>
Four more countries--Greece, Portugal, Singapore and Uruguay--will be added to the U.S. visa waiver pilot program later this year, following a recent joint decision by the departments of State and Justice. This will bring to 30 the number of countries participating in the program, which allows travelers to visit the United States without obtaining a visa. To qualify for the visa waiver program, countries must have a low refusal rate for residents who have applied for U.S. tourist visas and must not require visas from U.S. citizens. Travelers must limit their stays to 90 days.