Res Communis

S. 3195: A bill to prohibit air carriers from charging fees for carry-on baggage and to require disclosure of passenger fees, and for other purposes

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

S. 3195: A bill to prohibit air carriers from charging fees for carry-on baggage and to require disclosure of passenger fees, and for other purposes was introduced on April 12, 2010 by Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD):

To prohibit air carriers from charging fees for carry-on baggage and to require disclosure of passenger fees, and for other purposes. (Introduced in Senate)

S 3195 IS

111th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 3195

To prohibit air carriers from charging fees for carry-on baggage and to require disclosure of passenger fees, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

April 12, 2010

Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Ms. LANDRIEU) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

A BILL

To prohibit air carriers from charging fees for carry-on baggage and to require disclosure of passenger fees, 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. DISCLOSURE OF PASSENGER FEES; PROHIBITION ON FEES FOR CARRY-ON BAGGAGE.

(a) In General- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall complete a rulemaking that–

(1) prohibits each air carrier operating in the United States under part 121 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, from charging any fees for carry-on baggage that falls within the restrictions imposed by the air carrier with respect to the weight, size, or number of bags;

(2) requires each such air carrier to make detailed information about restrictions with respect to the weight, size, and number of carry-on baggage available to passengers before they arrive at the airport for a scheduled departure on the air carrier; and

(3) requires each such air carrier to make available to the public and to the Secretary a list of all passenger fees and charges (other than airfare) that may be imposed by the air carrier, including fees for–

(A) checked baggage or oversized or heavy baggage, including specialty items such as bicycles, skis, and firearms;

(B) meals, beverages, or other refreshments;

(C) seats in exit rows, seats with additional space, or other preferred seats in any given class of travel;

(D) purchasing tickets from an airline ticket agent or a travel agency; or

(E) any other good, service, or amenity provided by the air carrier, as required by the Secretary.

(b) Publication; Updates- In order to ensure that the fee information required by subsection (a)(3) is both current and widely available to the traveling public, the Secretary–

(1) may require an air carrier to make such information available on any public Web site maintained by an air carrier, to make such information available to travel agencies, and to notify passengers of the availability of such information when advertising airfares; and

(2) shall require air carriers to update the information as necessary, but no less frequently than every 90 days unless there has been no increase in the amount or type of fees shown in the most recent publication.