President Biden officially approves bipartisan aviation legislation.
The recent legislation, approved in the House a few days ago and in the Senate a while back, grants the aviation agency authority for the next five years and invests in the country's air travel infrastructure.
Following the signing of the law, President Biden boasted about its benefits and emphasized a newly enforced Department of Transportation regulation mandating cash refunds instead of vouchers in case of flight cancellations or significant delays.
"This bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization is a significant victory for travelers, the aviation labor force, and our economy," Biden stated. "This new Department of Transportation rule ensures airline passengers receive automatic refunds if they decline an airline's rebooking offer or fail to respond to the request."
The Biden administration initially proposed changes to refund regulations in 2022 due to a rising number of complaints linked with flight cancellations during the Covid-19 pandemic, when air travel was at a standstill. The new federal law mandates automatic refunds from airlines in case passengers opt for the rebooking request but refuse or fail to respond.
The act also calls for recruiting and training as many air traffic controllers as possible to deal with a 3,000-vacancy shortage, and to install more runway technology at major and mid-sized airports, aiming to prevent collisions or near-collisions on runways.
The legislation grants over $105 billion in funding for the FAA and $738 million for the National Transportation Safety Board from fiscal years 2024 to 2028.
A week prior to signing the bill into law, Biden approved a temporary one-week extension for federal aviation programs. This extension ensured the continuity of the programs during the House's consideration of the reauthorization bill.
Members of CNN, including Clare Foran, Gregory Wallace, Tami Luhby, and Haley Talbot, contributed to this article.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
