Choices for Stranded Passengers Act of 2023

Choices for Stranded Passengers Act of 2023

This bill requires air carriers (including foreign air carriers) that cause a significant flight delay or cancellation to provide, in certain circumstances, passengers with alternative transportation.

For the purposes of this bill, a domestic flight is considered significantly delayed when the departure or arrival has changed by three or more hours; an international flight to or from the United States is significantly delayed at six or more hours. Further, a qualifying flight is a scheduled flight in an aircraft designed for 31 passenger seats or more.

Under the bill, an air carrier that has caused a significant delay or cancellation to a qualifying flight must provide a passenger with an alternative flight on another air carrier at no additional charge if that alternative flight would arrive at the destination before the original flight or before another flight by the original air carrier.

This requirement does not apply if the passenger voluntarily chooses (1) to accept alternative ground transportation, provided at no additional charge by the air carrier; or (2) not to travel to the original destination and the air carrier promptly provides a full cash refund for the ticket cost and fees.

Passengers must be informed of their rights under this bill when booking a ticket and at the time such a delay or cancellation occurs.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2617 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2617

   To amend title 49, United States Code, to require air carriers to 
     provide passengers experiencing a delay or cancellation with 
           alternative transportation on another air carrier.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 13, 2023

  Ms. Porter introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 49, United States Code, to require air carriers to 
     provide passengers experiencing a delay or cancellation with 
           alternative transportation on another air carrier.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Choices for Stranded Passengers Act 
of 2023''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF ALTERNATIVE AIR CARRIER TRANSPORTATION FOR DELAYS 
              OR CANCELLATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter I of chapter 417 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 41727. Provision of alternative air carrier transportation for 
              delays or cancellations
    ``(a) Alternative Transportation.--An air carrier or foreign air 
carrier shall provide a passenger on scheduled air transportation in an 
aircraft designed for 31 passenger seats or greater whose flight 
experiences a controllable significant delay or cancellation with 
alternate transportation on another air carrier or foreign air carrier 
at no additional charge in any case in which the passenger would reach 
the originally ticketed destination earlier than on--
            ``(1) the ticketed flight; or
            ``(2) another flight provided by the air carrier or foreign 
        air carrier.
    ``(b) Exclusions.--Subsection (a) shall not apply if the ticketed 
passenger voluntarily chooses--
            ``(1) alternative ground transportation, provided at no 
        additional charge by the applicable air carrier or foreign air 
        carrier; or
            ``(2) if such passenger chooses not to travel to the 
        originally ticketed destination, a full cash refund for the 
        ticket, including any ancillary fees, paid promptly, as 
        determined by the Secretary.
    ``(c) Passenger Rights.--Air carriers, foreign air carriers, and 
ticket agents shall ensure that the rights of a passenger pursuant to 
this section are--
            ``(1) clear and conspicuous to the passenger at the time of 
        booking; and
            ``(2) in the case of an air carrier or foreign air carrier, 
        in written communication at the time a flight experiences a 
        controllable significant delay or cancellation.
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Controllable significant delay or cancellation.--The 
        term `controllable significant delay or cancellation' means a 
        significant delay or cancellation that is caused by an air 
        carrier or foreign air carrier.
            ``(2) Significant delay.--In this section, the term 
        `significant delay' means, with respect to air transportation, 
        the departure or arrival at the originally ticketed destination 
        associated with such transportation has changed--
                    ``(A) in the case of air transportation within the 
                United States, by 3 or more hours; or
                    ``(B) in the case of air transportation to or from 
                a location outside the United States, by 6 or more 
                hours.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for subchapter I of chapter 
417 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

``41727. Provision of alternative air carrier transportation for delays 
                            or cancellations.''.
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