[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3887-3888]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        FAA REAUTHORIZATION BILL

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss a number of my 
amendments to the FAA reauthorization bill.
  I filed Markey amendment No. 3467 to protect consumers from 
ridiculously high airline fees. In recent years, fees have gone up 
despite the fact that gas prices and airline choices have gone down. 
Regrettably, the only thing competitive about the current airline 
industry is the battle for overhead compartment space. Since 2001, 10 
major airlines have become 4, allowing air carriers to charge 
ridiculous fees and act in uncompetitive ways. The four major airlines 
now control 80 percent of the seat capacity in the United States. At 
some major airports, passengers only have one or two airlines to choose 
from.
  Airline fees have climbed as high as the planes on which passengers 
are traveling. We must stop their rapid ascent to protect the everyday 
airline passenger. According to an excellent report released by Ranking 
Member Nelson last year, three airlines increased checked baggage fees 
by 67 percent between 2009 and 2014 and four airlines increased 
domestic cancellation fees by 33 percent. One increased its fee by 50 
percent, and one increased its fee by 66 percent. Airlines should not 
be allowed to overcharge captive passengers just because they need to 
change their flight or check a couple of bags. It is just not fair. 
There is no justification for charging consumers a $200 fee to resell a 
$150 ticket that was cancelled well in advance when the airline can 
then resell that ticket for a higher fare to a different traveler. 
Further, airlines such as Delta, United, and American charge as much as 
$25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second bag even though 
there appears to be no appreciable cost increase for processing the 
second bag. That is $60 to check two bags one-way or $120 round-trip to 
check two bags.
  My amendment prohibits airlines from imposing fees that are not 
reasonable and proportional to the costs of the services provided. This 
commonsense consumer protection does not prevent airlines from charging 
fees; the amendment simply caps airline fees at a fair rate to ensure 
that passengers are not getting tipped upside down at the ticket 
counter.
  I am pleased that Senators Blumenthal and Klobuchar have cosponsored 
my amendment. I offered this amendment in the Commerce Committee, and 
it received a vote of 12 to 12. It is time to break this tie on the 
Senate floor.
  Further, my amendment enjoys broad support from several groups, 
including the National Consumers League, the Consumer Federation of 
America, and Travelers United.
  Mr. President, I intend to offer my cyber security amendments as 
well, Markey amendment Nos. 3468, 3469, and 3470.
  In December, I sent letters to 12 domestic airlines and two airplane 
manufactures requesting information on the cyber security protections 
on their aircraft and computer systems. What I found was startling. 
Currently, airlines

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are not required to report attempted or successful cyber attacks to the 
government. Let me say that again. Airlines are not required to report 
attempted or successful cyber attacks to the Federal Government.
  According to the National Air Carrier Association, which represents 
Allegiant, Spirit, and Sun Country--some of the country's smaller 
airlines--some of their carriers experience several hundred hacking 
attempts into their system every single day, but since there is no 
requirement to share this information with the FAA, potentially 
valuable cyber security information may not get to the other airlines, 
manufacturers, and regulators. My amendments address these concerns by 
mandating that airlines disclose cyber attacks to the FAA, directing 
the FAA to establish comprehensive cyber security standards, and 
commissioning a study to evaluate the safety and security risks 
associated with Wi-Fi on planes.
  My amendments enjoy broad support from the Association of Flight 
Attendants, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and the 
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
  Mr. President, finally, on drone privacy, in committee we added a 
requirement that government operators disclose where they fly drones, 
the purpose of the flight, and whether the drone contains cameras, 
thermal imaging, or cell phone interceptors. My amendment would extend 
those requirements to commercial drone operators.
  I encourage all Senators to support my amendments.
  I thank the Chair for giving me this opportunity to address the 
Chamber.
  I yield back the remainder of my time.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. 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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