On February 2, 2023, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) designed to strengthen international air travel security by enhancing information that commercial aircraft...more
On January 25, 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to pass the NOTAM Improvement Act of 2023, which would require that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) establish a task force to study how to...more
On October 26, 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it would not extend its COVID-19 related relief policy for U.S. slot-controlled and FAA-designated International Air Transport Association (IATA)...more
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a final rule requiring that flight attendants at large U.S. airlines receive a rest period of at least 10 consecutive hours between periods of duty lasting 14 hours or less...more
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to require that certain passenger aircraft be outfitted with “installed physical secondary barrier[s]” or “IPSBs” to further protect...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), titled Airline Ticket Refunds and Consumer Protections. The NPRM, which applies to U.S. and foreign airlines and ticket...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has published a 10-point Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights (Bill of Rights), which “describes the fundamental rights of air travelers with disabilities.” DOT also...more
On October 25, 2021, President Biden issued a presidential proclamation titled Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic (the proclamation), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...more
10/29/2021
/ Airlines ,
Aviation Industry ,
Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Travel ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Vaccinations
The FAA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to require that flight attendants at large U.S. airlines receive a rest period of at least 10 consecutive hours between periods of duty lasting 14 hours or less. Under...more
On July 9, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order (EO) designed to promote competition across the U.S. economy. The EO targets a swath of industries — from agriculture to information technology to prescription drugs...more
For airlines and airports regulated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), aviation security nomenclature is rife with acronyms: airline passengers pass through ASLs (automated screening lanes) every day,...more
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has again postponed the deadline for compliance with the REAL ID Act of 2005, until May 3, 2023. Under the REAL ID Act, federal agencies may not accept state-issued driver’s...more
5/3/2021
/ Airlines ,
Aviation Industry ,
Comment Period ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Driver's Licenses ,
REAL IDs ,
Request For Information ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Travel ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Traveling Employee ,
TSA
On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (the Rescue Plan Act) was signed into law, providing much-needed relief to keep employees on airline payrolls. The Act provides “eligible air carriers” with $14 billion...more
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a Notice and Order expanding pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirements — which previously applied only to passengers departing the UK — to apply to all...more
1/15/2021
/ Aviation Industry ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Travel ,
Public Health ,
Screening Procedures ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Traveling Employee ,
UK ,
Virus Testing
Congress has passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, a comprehensive $900 billion COVID relief stimulus package and $1.4 trillion omnibus bill. The President has not yet signed the legislation into law. ...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently issued new regulations codifying specific criteria for interpreting its fundamental regulatory authority under 49 U.S.C. section 41712 to prohibit airlines from engaging in...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a new regulation, “Traveling by Air with Service Animals,” that substantially revises its rules governing the transportation of service animals onboard aircraft. Under...more
On a normal travel day (at least pre-COVID), millions of passengers pass through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening checkpoints at U.S. airports. Passengers are screened using “body scanners” while...more
11/11/2020
/ Airlines ,
Airports ,
Aviation Industry ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
GAO ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Screening Procedures ,
Security Standards ,
Third-Party Service Provider ,
Tourism ,
TSA ,
Virus Testing
Under a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would be required to conduct temperature checks on all passengers and other individuals seeking entry to an airport’s...more
10/1/2020
/ Airlines ,
Airports ,
Aviation Industry ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Infrastructure ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Screening Procedures ,
Travel ,
TSA
As airlines seek to restore consumer confidence in air travel, they are urging the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to administer temperature screenings of all passengers at TSA airport security checkpoints. ...more
As the airline industry grapples with the fallout from COVID-19, one issue is keeping airlines, regulators, legislators, and courts busy: passenger refunds....more
5/15/2020
/ Airlines ,
Aviation Industry ,
Consumer Complaint Management ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Event Cancellation ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Refunds ,
Retroactive Application ,
Ticket Pricing ,
Vouchers
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued guidance to airlines wishing to transport cargo in the passenger cabin given reduced passenger demand in the wake of COVID-19. Under 14 C.F.R. § 121.285, airlines may carry...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued an Enforcement Notice Regarding “Refunds By Carriers Given the Unprecedented Impact of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency on Air Travel.”...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued an order proposing parameters for implementing authority granted to the Secretary of Transportation under the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security Act (the...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued an “Enforcement Notice Regarding Denying Boarding by Airlines of Individuals Suspected of Having Coronavirus” (or COVID-19)....more
3/6/2020
/ Airlines ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Aviation Industry ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Infrastructure ,
International Travel ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Travel