<B> WashingtonWire</B>
<B>Legislation Details Passenger Rights</B>
Congress has approved and sent legislation to President Clinton to provide $50.2 billion in funding for the U.S. Department of Transportation programs for fiscal year 2000, which began Oct. 1. Contained in the legislation was Sense of the Congress language demonstrating a growing movement on Capitol Hill to ensure a list of rights for airline passengers. Sense of the Congress language is not binding. Funds were provided by Congress, however, for DOT's Inspector General to investigate unfair or deceptive methods of competition by airlines. Additional Sense of the Congress language listed lawmakers' preference that this investigation include the failure of an airline to disclose to a passenger or ticket agent if a flight is overbooked, unless DOT determines that this disclosure is technically not feasible, and the failure of an airline to disclose to a passenger the lowest fare offered on the itinerary. Other Sense of the Congress language called for compensation for involuntarily bumped passengers to be doubled given a prompt cash refund for the full value of the ticket.
<A NAME="2"><B>FAA Issues Final Slot Allocation Regulations </B>
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a final rule amending regulations governing slot allocation procedures at U.S. airports to incorporate provisions in the U.S.-Canadian bilateral. The rule, effective Oct. 31, reclassifies slots and establishes base levels of permanent slots for Canadian carriers at New York LaGuardia and Chicago O'Hare. The Canadian carriers' slots will be converted from international to a modified form of domestic slots, which can be bought, sold or traded on the open market and become subject to the bimonthly "use or lose" requirement.
<A NAME="3"><B>Senate Proposes FAA Reauthorization Bill</B>
The Senate on Oct. 5 by voice vote cleared a three-year FAA reauthorization measure (S.82) that, among other provisions, creates an air traffic control modernization pilot program, including a COO for air traffic, a performance bonus for the FAA administrator and a public-private ATC joint venture to purchase ATC equipment. The bill, originally drafted by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), also creates 24 new slot exemptions at Reagan Washington National Airport, 30 new slot exemptions at Chicago O'Hare, and phases out the slot rule at both New York LaGuardia and JFK airports by 2007.