Senate Committee Considers Aviation Bill Lacking Trump’s Privatization Goal

American Airlines planes wait on the tarmac at Washington's Reagan National Airport after technical issues at a Federal Aviation Administration center in Virginia caused delays on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/J... American Airlines planes wait on the tarmac at Washington's Reagan National Airport after technical issues at a Federal Aviation Administration center in Virginia caused delays on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) MORE LESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican-led Senate committee is considering an aviation bill that omits one of President Donald Trump’s goals — turning air traffic control operations over to a private company.

The legislation would increase spending for airport improvements and would protect passengers from being forcibly removed from a plane once they’re approved to board.

The plan to reauthorize federal aviation programs through Sept. 30, 2021, has support from Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

Lawmakers are intent on preventing the forced removal of passengers unless they pose a health or safety risk. That’s a direct response to a United Airlines passenger who was violently dragged off a flight out of Chicago.

The bill also would eliminate the caps on compensation passengers can receive if they are involuntarily bumped from a flight.

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  1. Sounds like the rats are taking a flying leap from all things Donnie…

    So.Much.Winning.

  2. Glad they’re not privatizing ATC, but I’m keen to hear if user fees are going to be in there. $25 to file a flight plan? $10 for flight following? $5 per landing at ATC-controlled runways? No thanks.

    (I made all those numbers up, BTW.)

  3. Oh, snap. Sucks to be rejected by your own party now, don’t it Donnie Dingbat?

  4. No biggie. His “Efficiency in Government Week” is over. Kushner issued a report that said the government has a lot of old computing systems that don’t integrate well (a real headache for the Russians). The report could have been written any time in the last 30 years. Job done. Move on.

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