On Monday, July 28, 2014, the House will consider H.R. 4156, the Transparent Airfares Act of 2014, under a suspension of the rules. H.R. 4156 was introduced on March 6, 2013 by Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA) and referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which ordered the bill reported by voice vote.
H.R. 4156 allows passenger airlines and ticket agents to state, in an advertisement or solicitation for passenger air transportation, the base airfare if the entity separately and clearly discloses in the advertisement: 1) the government-imposed taxes and fees associated with the air transportation; and 2) the total cost of the air transportation. This legislation requires the Secretary to, within 120 days of enactment, issue final regulations to carry out these changes.
In January 2012, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) “changed U.S. airline advertising practices by implementing a rule that prohibits air carriers and ticket agents from providing full disclosure of government imposed taxes and fees in advertised prices.”[1] The 2012 rule effectively overturned rules that had been in effect for 25 years.[2] As a result, air carriers are required to include all taxes and fees in the advertised price of a ticket This legislation reverses the DOT’s 2012 rule, allowing carriers to display the actual cost of air travel.
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[1] See House Report 113-554, at 2.
[2] Id. at 2.
CBO estimates that this legislation would have no significant effect on the federal budget.[3] Enacting H.R. 4156 would not affect direct spending or revenues.
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[3] http://www.cbo.gov/publication/45289
For questions or further information contact the GOP Conference at 5-5107.
