Title: TICKETS Act
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Transparency Improvements and Compensation to Keep Every Ticketholder Safe Act of 2017 or the TICKETS Act
This bill prohibits an air carrier from denying the boarding of a flight by a passenger who has been cleared to board, without the passenger's consent, unless such passenger presents a safety, security, or health risk.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) shall revise federal regulations relating to oversold flights:
The DOT shall prescribe regulations to require an air carrier to:

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 947 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 947

   To protect passengers on flights in air transportation from being 
         denied boarding involuntarily, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 26, 2017

 Ms. Hassan (for herself, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Markey, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. 
Cortez Masto, Mr. Franken, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Casey, and Mr. Menendez) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
           Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To protect passengers on flights in air transportation from being 
         denied boarding involuntarily, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Transparency Improvements and 
Compensation to Keep Every Ticketholder Safe Act of 2017'' or the 
``TICKETS Act''.

SEC. 2. PROTECTION OF PASSENGERS FROM BEING DENIED BOARDING 
              INVOLUNTARILY.

    (a) Right To Fly of Boarded Passengers.--An air carrier may not, on 
or after the date of the enactment of this Act, deny boarding a flight 
operated by the air carrier to a passenger without the consent of the 
passenger once the passenger is approved by the gate attendant to clear 
the boarding area and board the flight unless the passenger presents a 
safety, security, or health risk, as determined by the Secretary of 
Transportation.
    (b) Elimination of Limitation on Compensation for Being Denied 
Boarding.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall revise the regulations 
under part 250 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, to eliminate 
the dollar amount limitations under paragraphs (2) and (3) of 
subsections (a) and (b) of section 250.5 of such title on the amount of 
compensation that may be provided to a passenger who is denied boarding 
involuntarily.
    (c) Limitation on Number of Seats That May Be Oversold.--In 
revising under subsection (b) the regulations under part 250 of title 
14, Code of Federal Regulations, the Secretary shall--
            (1) determine whether a limitation on the number of seats 
        that may be oversold for a flight is necessary; and
            (2) if the Secretary determines that such a limitation is 
        necessary, consider whether to impose such a limitation based 
        on a percentage of the seats available on an aircraft.
    (d) Regulations Relating to Accommodation of Air Carrier 
Employees.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall prescribe regulations requiring an air 
carrier seeking accommodation on a flight for an employee of the air 
carrier or another air carrier to check that employee in for the flight 
not later than 60 minutes before the flight is scheduled to depart.
    (e) Notice of Policies of Air Carriers on Oversold Flights.--Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary shall prescribe regulations requiring--
            (1) an air carrier, or other entity selling tickets for 
        flights in passenger air transportation, to specify, on a 
        passenger's flight itinerary and receipt, the policies of the 
        air carrier operating the flight with respect to oversold 
        flights and with respect to requiring passengers to give up 
        seats to employees of the air carrier; and
            (2) an air carrier to post those policies publicly at each 
        gate of the air carrier at an airport.
    (f) Air Carrier Defined.--In this section, the term ``air carrier'' 
means an air carrier or foreign air carrier, as those terms are defined 
in section 40102 of title 49, United States Code.
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