Faa Reauthorization Bill

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss a number of my amendments to the FAA reauthorization bill.

I filed Markey amendment No. 3467 to protect consumers from ridiculously high airline fees. In recent years, fees have gone up despite the fact that gas prices and airline choices have gone down. Regrettably, the only thing competitive about the current airline industry is the battle for overhead compartment space. Since 2001, 10 major airlines have become 4, allowing air carriers to charge ridiculous fees and act in uncompetitive ways. The four major airlines now control 80 percent of the seat capacity in the United States. At some major airports, passengers only have one or two airlines to choose from.

Airline fees have climbed as high as the planes on which passengers are traveling. We must stop their rapid ascent to protect the everyday airline passenger. According to an excellent report released by Ranking Member Nelson last year, three airlines increased checked baggage fees by 67 percent between 2009 and 2014 and four airlines increased domestic cancellation fees by 33 percent. One increased its fee by 50 percent, and one increased its fee by 66 percent. Airlines should not be allowed to overcharge captive passengers just because they need to change their flight or check a couple of bags. It is just not fair. There is no justification for charging consumers a $200 fee to resell a $150 ticket that was cancelled well in advance when the airline can then resell that ticket for a higher fare to a different traveler. Further, airlines such as Delta, United, and American charge as much as $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second bag even though there appears to be no appreciable cost increase for processing the second bag. That is $60 to check two bags one-way or $120 round-trip to check two bags.

My amendment prohibits airlines from imposing fees that are not reasonable and proportional to the costs of the services provided. This commonsense consumer protection does not prevent airlines from charging fees; the amendment simply caps airline fees at a fair rate to ensure that passengers are not getting tipped upside down at the ticket counter.

I am pleased that Senators Blumenthal and Klobuchar have cosponsored my amendment. I offered this amendment in the Commerce Committee, and it received a vote of 12 to 12. It is time to break this tie on the Senate floor.

Further, my amendment enjoys broad support from several groups, including the National Consumers League, the Consumer Federation of America, and Travelers United.

Mr. President, I intend to offer my cyber security amendments as well, Markey amendment Nos. 3468, 3469, and 3470.

In December, I sent letters to 12 domestic airlines and two airplane manufactures requesting information on the cyber security protections on their aircraft and computer systems. What I found was startling. Currently, airlines are not required to report attempted or successful cyber attacks to the government. Let me say that again. Airlines are not required to report attempted or successful cyber attacks to the Federal Government.

According to the National Air Carrier Association, which represents Allegiant, Spirit, and Sun Country--some of the country's smaller airlines--some of their carriers experience several hundred hacking attempts into their system every single day, but since there is no requirement to share this information with the FAA, potentially valuable cyber security information may not get to the other airlines, manufacturers, and regulators. My amendments address these concerns by mandating that airlines disclose cyber attacks to the FAA, directing the FAA to establish comprehensive cyber security standards, and commissioning a study to evaluate the safety and security risks associated with Wi-Fi on planes.

My amendments enjoy broad support from the Association of Flight Attendants, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

Mr. President, finally, on drone privacy, in committee we added a requirement that government operators disclose where they fly drones, the purpose of the flight, and whether the drone contains cameras, thermal imaging, or cell phone interceptors. My amendment would extend those requirements to commercial drone operators.

I encourage all Senators to support my amendments.

I thank the Chair for giving me this opportunity to address the Chamber.

I yield back the remainder of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source