Coalition for Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights Applauds Senator Lautenberg for Making Airline Passengers' Rights a Continued Priority

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. and WASHINGTON, July 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Coalition for Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights (CAPBOR) issued the following statement from its spokesperson, Kate Hanni, on news that Senator Lautenberg has received approval from the Appropriations Committee to include in the Lautenberg amendment to S. 1300 a 2.5 million dollar budget increase for the Airline Customer Service Regulatory Office at the USDOT starting fiscal year 2008.

"Passengers on Commercial Aircraft in the United States have less rights than prisoners of war. It appears some members of our honorable Senate are finally taking a proactive stand to change that; in spite of the constant flow of lobbying monies into Congress from the airlines. On behalf of the Coalition for Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights, I applaud Senator Lautenberg for his implacable commitment to protect America's flying public. Senator Lautenberg understands the growing frustration and displeasure of flyers against commercial airlines and he is responding with real, concrete actions."

The USDOT received around 900 complaints alone in the month of May and as such, is in constant need of more manpower and resources to properly investigate these complaints. This budget increase garnered by Senator Lautenberg will allow the Airline Customer Service Regulatory Office to respond to these calls more efficiently and expeditiously.

We appreciate his leadership on this issue and encourage other members of Senate and Congress to follow in his footsteps. Airline passengers are in constant need of a "voice" in the world of commercial aviation and one of the ways they can be heard is through hard-working, committed elected officials such as Senator Lautenberg's. $2,500,000.00 will go a long way in ensuring the DOT can investigate most airline complaints including baggage losses, frequent flyer miles dilution, mis-reporting of fares, bumping of passengers and many more things. We are hopeful that these monies could be extended to a manned hotline like the one we now have so that the Government can truly understand what's happening on Commercial Aircraft in the United States. Members of Congress need to continue to address the needs of airline passengers and ensure the passage of a comprehensive, enforceable Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights that would modernize and improve airline industry standards for customer service."

The Coalition for an Airline Passengers Bill of Rights has 16,100 people and is the largest airline passengers' rights organization in the world. We are joined by ACAP, USPIRG, Consumer Union and Consumer Federation of America, The AFA and United Pilots in our fight for airline passengers rights. Our hotline is 1-877-flyers-6 and our website is www.flyersrights.com.