TICKETS Act

Bill: 115-s-947
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
Introduced: 2017-04-26
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Aviation and airports

Consumer affairs

Department of Transportation

Transportation costs

Transportation employees
Latest action: action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-04-26
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Transparency Improvements and Compensation to Keep Every Ticketholder Safe Act of 2017 or the TICKETS Act</b></p> <p>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.</p> <p>The Department of Transportation (DOT) shall revise federal regulations relating to oversold flights:</p> <ul> <li> to eliminate specified dollar amount limits on compensation provided to a passenger denied boarding involuntarily, and</li> <li> to determine whether limits on the number of seats oversold for a flight are necessary and, if so, to consider whether to impose such limits based on a percentage of seats available on the aircraft.</li> </ul> <p>The DOT shall prescribe regulations to require an air carrier to:</p> <ul> <li> check in its employee or that of another air carrier seeking accommodation on a flight at least 60 minutes before its scheduled departure, and</li> <li> specify on a passenger's itinerary and publicly post its policies with respect to oversold flights and requiring passengers to give up their seats to air carrier employees.</li> </ul>

tv_txt: II 115th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 947 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.

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 . 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.