U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Miami Republican, joined a bipartisan group of colleagues Thursday to reintroduce legislation aimed at protecting small travel agencies from the financial burden of flight cancellations.
Reps. Salazar, Dina Titus, D-Nevada, and Mark Alford, R-Missouri, reintroduced H.R. 5556, the Flight Refund Fairness Act.
The bill, they say, seeks to resolve a problem where current federal rules can unfairly hold small travel agencies responsible for the cost of refunds when flights are canceled — an expense that is "completely outside their control."
The Flight Refund Fairness Act is designed to make airlines — not small travel advisors — "the party responsible for providing a reimbursement," allowing travelers to get their money back sooner while safeguarding small agencies from financial burdens that could threaten their businesses.
“Miami is the premier tourism hub and the small businesses that support this industry must be protected,” Salazar said in a statement.
In a statement shared by lawmakers, the American Society of Travel Advisors expressed support for the bill.
“Travel advisors are consumer advocates. They navigate complex rules and fight for rightful refunds for their clients,” said ASTA President and CEO Zane Kerby. “But the current regulatory structure threatens the financial viability of many travel agencies — 95 percent of which are small businesses — by placing the refund burdens on agencies."
