FAA bill passes but agents on the hook for airline refunds


FAA bill passes but agents on the hook for airline refunds

Monday, 13 May, 2024 2

The FAA Reauthorization Bill was passed in the US Senate but without safeguards for travel agencies forced to repay refunds to travelers.

An amendment championed by the American Society of Travel Advisors has not been included, which would have protected travel advisors from paying out customer refunds when airlines cancel flights.

The bill requires travel agencies to refund for flights canceled by the airlines even if the agency has not received the traveler’s funds.

ASTA had lobbied hard against language in the bill that potentially forces travel agencies to pay out refunds.

“Travel agencies are not positioned to float the kind of financial obligations that policymakers are strapping on their backs,” said Zane Kerby, CEO of ASTA.

“Consumer protection could have been accomplished without sacrificing the interests of small business travel advisors who work diligently every day on behalf of the traveling public,” Kerby added.

Kerby says it is down to a lack of awareness by lawmakers on the role travel agencies play.

In the bill, small agencies have been grouped with large global OTAs whose financial clout couldn’t be more different.

ASTA will continue pushing for change to protect small travel businesses, starting with the annual Legislative Day in September. 

Related News Stories:  



Related News Stories:  Senate passes FAA reauthorization bill, but without ASTA-backed ...     Final FAA Reauthorization Bill Presents Both Drawbacks and ...     Fly Rights | US Department of Transportation     ASTA: New DOT Rules Harm Small Agencies that Book Air     Can airlines just blame everything on bad weather without any ...     Automatic refunds are now required for delayed and canceled flights     Biden-Harris Administration Announces Final Rule Requiring ...     ASTA Says DOT Made “Profound Error” in Airline Refund Ruling ...     Airlines will now be required to give automatic cash refunds for ...     If I miss my departing flight, can I take another one way flight and still ...    



 

profileimage

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.



Most Read

Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026

Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange

North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism

Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns

James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel

Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination

Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics

Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy

Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene

Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee

Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail

Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
TRAINING & COMPETITION

Our emails to you has bounced travelmole.com Or You can change your email from your profile Setting Section

Your region selection will be saved in your cookie for future visits. Please enable your cookie for TravelMole.com so this dialog box will not come up again.

Price Based Country test mode enabled for testing United States (US). You should do tests on private browsing mode. Browse in private with Firefox, Chrome and Safari