[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 149 (Thursday, October 30, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H9733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 H.R. 2748, AIR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT ACT

  (Mr. DUNCAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I have just introduced H.R. 2748, the Air 
Service Improvement Act. This is a bill which could help bring down the 
cost of air travel for small- or medium-sized airports. Today it costs 
people in cities likes Knoxville, Syracuse, and many other places much 
more to fly a couple of hundred miles than it does for people in many 
large cities to fly to Europe or across the entire country. This bill 
would open up new slots for airlines to serve underserved cities. It 
would provide a special grant program to help airports attract low-cost 
airlines to help bring down ticket costs. It would set up new, faster 
procedures for handling anticompetitive predatory pricing complaints 
against some airlines. The bill would set up a loan guarantee program 
to help airlines purchase commuter planes if they agree to serve 
underserved airports for at least 1 year.
  The Air Service Improvement Act, if passed, could be a major step in 
helping to end the great unfairness that exists today in the price of 
airline tickets. I urge my colleagues to join me in bringing this much 
needed relief for air travelers in our small- and medium-sized cities.

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