A bipartisan bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Thursday, strengthening safeguards for both passengers and airline employees while also enhancing aviation safety.
The act, which was approved by the Senate last week and the House on Wednesday, funds national aviation infrastructure while extending the agency's jurisdiction for the next five years. Following his signature on the bill, Biden praised it in a statement and drew attention to a recent Department of Transportation regulation mandating automatic cash refunds rather than vouchers.
"Visitors, the aviation industry, and our economy will all benefit greatly from the bipartisan reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration," he declared. It also strengthens the initiatives taken by my administration to enhance airline passengers' travel experiences by upholding the Department of Transportation's regulation requiring automatic refunds in cases of flight cancellation or major delay.
After a spike in complaints regarding refunds following the Covid-19 pandemic's suspension of air travel, the Biden administration first suggested changing the refund policies in 2022. The airline is required by law to provide an automatic refund if a passenger refuses the airline's request for a rebooking or does not reply to the request.
The bill mandates that the FAA hire and educate as many air traffic controllers as possible in order to fill a 3,000-spot shortage, among other things. In an effort to lower collisions and near-collisions on runways, it also mandates that the agency install extra runway technology at medium-sized and big hub airports. Additionally, the measure allocates $738 million for the National Transportation Safety Board and more than $105 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
Federal aviation programs received a one-week extension signed by Biden last week. This action made it possible for the programs to run while the House debated the reauthorization bill.
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