[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 119 (Tuesday, September 14, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S10827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT--
                               Continued

  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the time on 
two amendments that have been offered by Senator Wyden relative to 
airline reporting be limited to 1 hour of total debate, to be equally 
divided in the usual form. I further ask that votes occur on or in 
relation to the Wyden amendments in the order in which they were 
offered, beginning at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, tomorrow, with 2 minutes 
for explanation between each vote and no additional amendments in order 
prior to the votes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, in light of this agreement, there will be 
no further votes this evening, and the next votes will occur at 11 a.m. 
Wednesday, tomorrow.
  Mr. WYDEN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I want to commend the distinguished Senator 
from West Virginia for an excellent statement with respect to the air 
traffic control system. It seems to me what the Senator from West 
Virginia has pointed out is that our country, to some extent, wants a 
21st century air traffic control system and they want to figure out how 
to do it on a 19th century budget.
  The Senator from West Virginia, it seems to me, is saying it is time 
for all of us in the Congress to, in effect, put our dollars where our 
mouth is with respect to safety. If you are serious about improving 
safety, you have to fund this woefully inadequate air traffic control 
system.
  The fact of the matter is, the Senator from West Virginia has spent 
many years battling to strengthen the air traffic control system, as 
has the distinguished ranking minority member of the Senate Commerce 
Committee, Senator Hollings. I think the Senator from West Virginia has 
given an extremely important address this afternoon in terms of 
highlighting how critical it is to the safety agenda of the American 
people. You cannot do what is needed to improve safety for airline 
passengers in this country without following the recommendations of the 
Senator from West Virginia. I wanted him to know that his remarks were 
heard, and heard clearly, by this junior member of the Commerce 
Committee.
  I will wrap up this afternoon by thanking again Senator Shelby and 
Senator Lautenberg for their support of the two amendments I am 
offering that will be voted on in the morning. They are simple, 
straightforward amendments calling for disclosure with respect to 
overbooking of airline flights, making sure the passengers can actually 
know about the lowest fares that are available, whether it is over the 
telephone or on a web site.

  As we wrap up this afternoon, my understanding is that we will have 
additional time to discuss this on the floor of the Senate tomorrow 
morning. I am very proud to have the support of the chairman of the 
subcommittee, Mr. Shelby, and the ranking minority member, Mr. 
Lautenberg, on the two amendments that will come up tomorrow morning 
with respect to disclosure. I also thank their staffs and the staffs of 
the Commerce Committee, who have been working to make it possible, 
procedurally, for the Senate to consider these in the morning.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Oregon for 
his contribution in the form of these amendments. We work together on 
the Budget Committee, and on other matters. He is always thoughtful on 
the matters he brings to the Senate.
  Before the Senator from West Virginia leaves the room, I want to say 
to him that one of the things he talked about, sort of indirectly, in 
terms of getting the FAA up to the point that it should be in order to 
take care of the volume of traffic we have--we must make air travel 
more user friendly. You do that by providing an infrastructure that can 
accommodate the volume of traffic we have. I commend the Senator from 
West Virginia. He works very hard on matters of aviation. We are 
grateful to him for his contribution.
  I would like to say this. One of the things that kind of pervades the 
discussion that has gone on here for the last while by the Senator from 
Oregon and the Senator from West Virginia is that there has to be a 
change in attitude, in my view.
  The airlines have to understand that they have a precious commodity 
when they have license to offer the services that they do. They are not 
unlike the doctor who provides excellent service who uses the hospital 
operating room for his or her work.
  We provide airspace--limited airspace. We provide huge investment in 
technology to have a system operate better. We provide airports. We 
provide facilities. And all of this is not designed to punish. My 
conversation is not designed to punish the airlines but to make sure it 
is remembered that they are serving the public, with the permission of 
the Government indirectly, by providing the kinds of facilities that 
can accommodate the number of flights and the routes that are being 
used. It is user friendly.
  I recently proposed something in New Jersey that has some people in 
government a little nervous. I suggested that when someone has to wait 
to pay a toll and it gets beyond a certain point, the drivers be 
permitted to go through free. I call it a deadline, Don't Encumber 
Drivers--DED--because otherwise those toll road authorities just 
collect their money. It just takes them a little while longer. But the 
one who pays and gets less service is the driver. You sit there in all 
of that smog, fog, and congestion. You miss your appointment, you don't 
get to work, you don't get to school, you don't get to the doctor, and 
shopping is not done on time.
  Why is it that the user is the one always pays the price?
  You go into a well operated supermarket, and they open more lanes so 
you can pay your bills faster because they know you don't want to stand 
around there to have to give them your money. So it is also, I think, 
with the airlines.
  I don't want to see them punished. This isn't designed to be 
punitive. What we are suggesting here is designed to make it fairer for 
the traveling passenger. Rather than bumping people, there ought to be 
other ways to deal with it, so that if someone is bumped, the airline 
also feels the pressure--not just the passenger if the airline chose to 
oversell the seats.
  I don't want to see the airlines flying with empty seats. That is not 
a mission at all. Maybe they have to come up with a different scheme. 
Maybe there has to be a deposit when you make an airline reservation. I 
have talked to lots of people who would make two or three reservations 
on airplanes on different flights so they could do it at their 
convenience, which means that someone else could not fly because they 
have blocked these seats. Maybe there has to be a deposit when the 
reservation is made to be used either for a trip or as a cost for doing 
business.
  If you want to have furniture delivered to your house, you can't get 
it delivered without suffering some kind of a penalty if they deliver 
it and nobody is home and they have to turn around and take it back, or 
if you want to cancel midstream. Try buying a car without a deposit. 
They will tell you no. You can't have your wash done without having a 
laundry ticket.
  In any event, I yield the floor.
  I note the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative assistant proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.




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