[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4742 Introduced in House (IH)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 4742

   To improve consumers' access to airline industry information, to 
 promote competition in the aviation industry, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 8, 1998

 Mr. DeFazio (for himself, Mr. Sanders, and Ms. Kaptur) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To improve consumers' access to airline industry information, to 
 promote competition in the aviation industry, 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 ``Aviation Consumer Right To Know Act 
of 1998''.

SEC. 2. CODE-SHARING DISCLOSURE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall begin 
implementation of the requirements contained in the notice of proposed 
rulemaking of the Department of Transportation, dated August 10, 1994, 
concerning disclosure of code-sharing arrangements and long-term wet 
leases.
    (b) Written Notice.--Before implementing the requirements referred 
to subsection (a), the Secretary shall modify the requirements to 
ensure that written notice of a code-sharing arrangement or long-term 
wet lease is provided on ticket stock and any accompanying itinerary.

SEC. 3. TRAVEL TICKET AGENT OVERIDE DISCLOSURE.

    The Secretary of Transportation shall conduct a rulemaking 
proceeding to require a ticket agent for air transportation to disclose 
verbally, in any direct verbal communication with a prospective 
consumer of air transportation services, the commissions (including all 
forms of financial and in-kind remuneration) paid to the ticket agent 
(or the ticket agent's agency) by all air carriers serving the markets 
of interest to the prospective consumer.

SEC. 4. FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAM STATISTICS.

    The Secretary of Transportation shall conduct a rulemaking 
proceeding to require each air carrier to keep records and publish 
statistics concerning the possibility of redeeming frequent flyer 
benefits offered by the air carrier for air transportation between any 
city-pair market of the air carrier. Publication requirements 
established pursuant to this section shall include a requirement that 
the availability of such statistics be noticed in any newsletter 
provided by the air carrier to members of its frequent flyer program.

SEC. 5. INTERNET PUBLICATION OF AIR FARES.

    The Secretary of Transportation shall conduct a rulemaking 
proceeding to require each air carrier to publish on the international 
computer network known as the Internet, in a manner that is 
comprehensible and readily accessible by the general public, the 
available fares for air transportation offered by the air carrier 
(including fares for each class of service and each subcategory within 
the class) on each flight scheduled for departure on or before the 60th 
day following the date of publication and to update the publication not 
less than once every 24 hours.

SEC. 6. DEADLINES.

    In conducting the rulemaking proceedings under sections 3, 4, and 
5, the Secretary shall--
            (1) not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, issue a notice of proposed rulemaking; and
            (2) not later than 1 year after such date of enactment, 
        issue a final rule.
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