05/09/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/10/2024 10:31
Additional Schatz-Led Provisions to Improve Airport Resilience, Strengthen Consumer Protections For Air Travelers Also Included; Bill Now Heads to House Of Representatives For Consideration
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate today passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which included several provisions authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill contains measures to address air tour noise in Hawai'i, improve air tour safety, help airports adapt to extreme weather, and establish a Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary at the Department of Transportation's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.
"These provisions will help make air tours in Hawai'i safer and less noisy as well as help airports across our state become more resilient to disasters," said Senator Schatz. "We're also making meaningful investments to empower the Department of Transportation to advocate on behalf of air travelers more effectively and strengthen consumer protections."
Specifically, the provisions:
Hawai'i has the highest number of fatalities from air tour crashes in the nation, totaling over 85 people since the National Transportation Safety Board began keeping records. Schatz originally introduced the Air Tour and Skydiving Safety Improvement Act and the Hawai'i Air Tour Management Act with the Hawai'i congressional delegation following multiple fatal helicopter crashes in the state in 2019. Schatz also previously introduced the Natural Hazard Resilience for Airports Act with Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) following concerns that FAA programs were not set up well to allow Hawaii's airports to build resiliently. Finally, Schatz led six Democrats and worked with consumer protection advocates to introduce the Improved Transportation Consumer Protection Act in the face of worsening airline passenger experiences in recent years.
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