I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3260 
To provide passengers in air transportation with certain rights. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 14, 2017 
Mr. THOMPSON of California introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To provide passengers in air transportation with certain 
rights. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Airline Passenger Pro-
tection Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. PHYSICAL STANDARDS. 
(a) SEAT SIZE.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall issue a final rule regarding the minimum 
standards and specifications for an air carrier and foreign 
air carrier that addresses the required seat width, pad-
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ding, reclining, pitch, leg room, aisle width, safety and 
health regarding such seats, in consultation with the Occu-
pational Safety and Health Administration (in this section 
referred to as ‘‘OSHA’’), the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (in this section referred to as the ‘‘CDC’’), 
passenger advocacy groups, disabled and senior citizen 
groups, and representatives of air carriers. 
(b) BATHROOM SIZE.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue 
a final rule regarding the minimum standards and speci-
fications for an air carrier and foreign air carrier that ad-
dresses the required bathroom dimensions, door size, toilet 
size, safety and health for the bathroom, in consultation 
with OSHA, the CDC, passenger advocacy groups, dis-
abled and senior citizens, and representatives of air car-
riers. 
SEC. 3. PASSENGER PROTECTIONS. 
(a) SPECIFIC RIGHTS.— 
(1) DAMAGED OR INOPERABLE AMENITIES.— 
The Secretary of Transportation shall require that 
an air carrier and foreign air carrier refund, not 
later than 30 days after a scheduled flight, up to 10 
percent of the ticket cost to a passenger whose in- 
air amenities (televisions, headphones, wireless inter-
net access) are broken or do not work as promised, 
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and to refund the full cost of any in-air purchase 
(entertainment, wireless internet) that is not re-
ceived or does not work. 
(2) DELAY
AND
CANCELLATION
HONESTY.— 
The Secretary shall fine an air carrier and foreign 
air carrier $1,000 per passenger for a cancellation 
or delay based on false or dishonest claims of force 
majeure by such a carrier. 
(3) 
DELAYS
NOT
CAUSED
BY
FORCE 
MAJEURE.—The Secretary shall require an air car-
rier and foreign air carrier to provide a passenger 
whose flight is delayed by 3 or more hours, for rea-
sons not considered force majeure, a replacement 
ticket on another air carrier to the same destination 
that departs not later than 24 hours after the origi-
nal departure time. If such a ticket is unavailable, 
an air carrier or foreign air carrier shall either re-
fund the cost of the ticket price or provide a replace-
ment ticket departing more than 24 hours after the 
original departure time, whichever is more satisfac-
tory to a passenger. 
(4) ECONOMIC DELAYS OR CANCELLATIONS.— 
The Secretary shall require an air carrier and for-
eign air carrier to notify passengers at least 3 hours 
in advance if a flight is to be delayed or cancelled 
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for economic reasons, and to provide a ticket refund 
and, if desired, alternate transportation to a pas-
senger whose flight is cancelled for such reasons. 
(5) FEES.—An air carrier and foreign air car-
rier shall provide that fees— 
(A) not included in airfare are conspicu-
ously disclosed in advance of a ticket purchase; 
and 
(B) not included in an airfare may not be 
exorbitant, defined as in excess of 200 percent 
above the cost to the airline of providing the 
service or benefit in question. 
(6) FREQUENT
FLIER
PROGRAMS.—The Sec-
retary shall require an air carrier to report basic 
statistics on its frequent flier programs, to permit 
passengers to evaluate objectively the benefits of 
each such program, and to inform passengers at 
least 12 months in advance before a reduction or de-
valuation of benefits. 
(7) HOTLINE.—Notwithstanding any other pro-
vision of law, 10 percent of fines paid to the Govern-
ment by an air carrier and foreign air carrier for 
any violation of a regulation of the Department of 
Transportation or the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion shall be available to maintain the consumer 
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