Bill also includes provisions to ban airline junk fees, strengthen consumer protections for passengers
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that provisions from his Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act, which honors the memory of United Flight 195 Victor Saracini by taking additional steps to prevent airplane hijacking, advanced through the Senate as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The aviation package also included provisions banning airline junk fees and bolstering consumer protections for passengers.
“Congress has an obligation to make air transportation safer, more efficient, and more accessible for all passengers and airline workers,” said Senator Casey (D-PA). “In this legislation, we have taken an important step to improve airline safety by honoring the memory of Captain Saracini and approving my measure to prevent airplane hijacking. We’ve also made important progress to bolster consumer protections for passengers and remove pesky airline junk fees.”
For years, Senator Casey has led the Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act to mandate installation of secondary barriers between cabin and cockpit on all major commercial passenger planes in the United States, not only new ones. Senator Casey secured a provision in the last FAA legislation in 2018 to mandate secondary barriers in new planes. However, objections from the aviation industry prevented retrofitting planes already in service with secondary barriers. The bill passed today finishes the job, and now requires a retrofit of older planes with secondary barriers to protect the pilots from hijackers. Data shows that secondary barriers significantly decrease the threat of hijackings.
In addition to including provisions from Casey’s bill to prevent airline hijackings, the package included a number of provisions which mark key victories for Pennsylvanians, including:
Banning Junk Fees and Bolstering Consumer Protections for Passengers: The bill implements a number of consumer protection improvements, including removing junk airline fees and establishing a right to refunds on delayed or cancelled flights within the United States, requiring airlines have customer service agents available 24/7, establishing standards for airline reimbursement credits, and requiring rules that ensure children under the age of 14 can sit next to parents or guardians for no extra fee. It also includes a provision from the Improved Transportation Consumer Protection Act—cosponsored by Senator Casey—which creates an Office of Aviation Consumer Protection within the Department of Transportation, led by a new “Assistant Secretary for Aviation Consumer Protection.”
Investing and Preserving Critical Airport Infrastructure: The bill increases the annual authorization for the Airport Improvement Program, the main federal funding stream for airport infrastructure, by more than $600 million. This program supports improvements at airports in Pennsylvania and across the Nation. The bill also authorizes an increase in funding for the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which subsidizes air service to several rural communities in Pennsylvania. It also includes protections that will keep airport service available in rural communities.
Supporting the Airline Workforce: The bill includes a provision from the bipartisan Air Traffic Controllers Hiring Act—which Senator Casey co-sponsored—to increase the FAA’s hiring target for new air traffic controllers and address air traffic controller shortages. Following advocacy by Senator Casey to the Commerce Committee, the package also keeps the mandatory pilot retirement age at 65, rather than increasing it to 67.
Accommodating Passengers with Disabilities: The package includes several provisions to better accommodate airline passengers with disabilities. These include establishing training standards for employees who assist passengers with disabilities, updating standards for aircraft boarding and deplaning to improve accessibility, and requiring the Department of Transportation (DOT) to investigate complaints of discrimination against people with disabilities in a timely manner. The bill also includes a provision instructing DOT to ensure in-flight entertainment is accessible, which Casey pushed for in his Airline Safety Information and Entertainment Access Act.
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