I

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 5347

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations relating to

the transfer of airline tickets and to amend title 49, United States

Code, relating to air carrier ticket pricing policies.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEPTEMBER 29, 2000

Mr. GIBBONS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations

relating to the transfer of airline tickets and to amend

title 49, United States Code, relating to air carrier ticket

pricing policies.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Consumer-Friendly

5 Airline Ticket Transfer Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. TRANSFER OF AIRLINE TICKETS.

7 (a) REGULATIONS.—
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after

2 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of

3 Transportation shall issue regulations requiring air

4 carriers to make paper tickets purchased after Janu5 ary 1, 2001, for intrastate air transportation or

6 interstate air transportation transferable at no cost.

7 (2) SPECIAL RULES.—Under the regulations—

8 (A) the transferee may only board the air9 craft to be used to provide the air transpor10 tation if the original purchaser of the ticket has

11 endorsed the ticket and the transferee endorses

12 the ticket in the presence of a ticket agent of

13 the air carrier providing the air transportation

14 and provides to the ticket agent proof of identi15 fication; and

16 (B) the original purchaser of the ticket is

17 the only person who may be credited under a

18 frequent flyer program of the air carrier for

19 mileage with respect to the air transportation.

20 (3) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 90

21 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the

22 Secretary shall make recommendations to Congress

23 relating to the transfer of electronic tickets for air

24 transportation.
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1 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘air

2 carrier’’, ‘‘air transportation’’, ‘‘intrastate air transpor3 tation’’, and ‘‘interstate air transportation’’ have the

4 meanings such terms have under section 40102 of title

5 49, United States Code.

6 SEC. 3. AIR CARRIER PRICING POLICIES.

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 417 of

8 title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the

9 end the following:

10 ‘‘§ 41716. Air carrier pricing policies

11 ‘‘An air carrier may not—

12 ‘‘(1) prohibit a person (including a govern13 mental entity) that purchases air transportation

14 from only using a portion of the air transportation

15 purchased (including using the air transportation

16 purchased only for 1-way travel instead of round-trip

17 travel); and

18 ‘‘(2) assess an additional fee or charge to—

19 ‘‘(A) such a person; or

20 ‘‘(B) any ticket agent that sold the air

21 transportation to such person.’’.

22 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sec23 tions for such title is amended by inserting after the item

24 relating to section 41715 the following:

‘‘41716. Air carrier pricing policies.’’.

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