The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE AIRLINE PASSENGER FAIRNESS ACT OF 1999” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E258 on Feb. 23, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE AIRLINE PASSENGER FAIRNESS ACT OF 1999
______
HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS
of new york
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, February 23, 1999
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support and acknowledge every airline passenger's right to a certain minimum of service. For this reason, I have joined my Senate colleagues Senator Ron Wyden and Senator John McCain in introducing the Airline Passenger Fairness Act of 1999, H.R. 752.
This bill requires airlines to give passengers, their customers, decent and quality service. Once upon a time, customers could count on industry and businesses to provide quality customer service as the price of doing business. Yet, lately, this industry seems to be operating under the philosophy that their customers need them more than they need their customers. The abuses have been plentiful and varied, passengers have suffered from a shortage of seating, late or canceled flights without explanation, nonrefundable tickets, and failure to disclose information that would enable them to make informed decisions about various airline rates.
The facts bare me out on this position. The 1998 Department of Transportation report stated that large United States air carriers charge twice as much as their large hub airports, where there is no low fare competition as they charge at a hub airport where a low fare competitor is present. Incredibly, the General Accounting Office discovered that fares range from 12 to 17 percent higher at hubs dominated by one carrier or a consortium. Also, the Department of Transportation's Domestic Airline Fares Consumer Report for the Third Quarter of 1997 listed seventy-five major city pairs where fares increased by 30 percent or more year-by-year, while total traffic in these cities pairs decreased by 863,500 passengers, or more than 20 percent.
This Congress should be about the work of reaffirming citizens rights in all aspects of their life. We have introduced the, ``Patient's Bill of Rights'' for those individuals who seek medical assistance, and we must support ``The Flight Bill of Rights'' for the 600 million people who use this mode of transportation per year and are increasingly dissatisfied and endangered by substandard service and treatment.
____________________
