Letter to Bill Shuster, Chairman of the FAA and Peter DeFazio , Ranking Member of the FAA - Bennet Urges House to Include LIFT Act in FAA Reauthorization

Letter

Dear Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio:

As the Committee works to re-authorize the Federal Aviation Administration, I urge you to include the Lasting Improvements to Family Travel (LIFT) Act to fix air travel for women and families. The Senate adopted this amendment unanimously and Chairman John Thune and Ranking Member Nelson have highlighted its importance in discussing the re-authorization.

The LIFT Act ensures that airlines have policies that allow children to sit next to their parents on a flight without paying an extra seat fee, and allow pregnant women to pre-board their flights. Currently, there is no guarantee that families will be able to sit next to each other on a plane, even if tickets are booked far in advance. Parents may have the option of paying upwards of $25 for a premium seat. This is unfair and can be costly for some families. Separating families disrupts the boarding process and often leaves parents at the mercy of other passengers-passengers who must then decide whether to trade seats despite the fact that they may have already paid additional fees for seats themselves.

Additionally, our bill ensures that TSA cannot separate a child from their parent or guardian during the security screening process. With growing security lines and increased wait times, the last thing parents need to worry about is being separated from their children.

As more families continue to fly, it's important that we enact common sense measures that make traveling easier and safer for everyone. These provisions in the LIFT Act will help enhance security, reduce unnecessary stress and expense, and provide parents with greater peace of mind.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to working with you.

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