Schakowsky introduces bill to prevent a repeat of United Airlines incident

Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky was joined by her colleague Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi in introducing legislation that would prohibit airlines from involuntarily ‘bumping’ ticketed passengers from flights. The bill, titled the Bumping on Overbooked Airplanes Requires Dealing Fairly (BOARD Fairly) Act, would ensure that the unacceptable incident that occurred on United Airlines Flight 3411 never happens again.

“The treatment of Dr. David Dao on United Airlines Flight 3411 demands a permanent response,” said Rep. Schakowsky. “My bill says no more involuntary bumping - period. If an airline insists on overbooking, it must find the price that passengers are willing to accept in exchange for giving up their seats. My bill, the BOARD Fairly Act, will ensure that is the case. It is time for airlines to start treating their customers with respect.”

“The removal of Dr. Dao was a clarifying moment for all of us,” said Rep. Krishnamoorthi. “Passengers must be treated with respect and while I am heartened to see the policy changes airlines have already made on their own, passengers deserve the full protection of the law to ensure that this type of incident will not happen again.”

The BOARD Fairly Act instructs the Department of Transportation to modify their rules regarding the practice of “bumping” passengers from commercial aircraft. The modification would prohibit the practice of involuntary bumping and would require all negotiations for passengers willing to give up their seats to take place before the passengers board. No one could any longer be removed from a plane except for genuine security or safety reasons. The full text of the bill can be found here.