Personal space for safety, more competition for airlines, cell phone on planes among committee recommendations

Let airlines decide when cell phones can be used in flight. Open slots at controlled airports for competition. Test emergency evacuations with today’s seat pitch for safety. Provide advanced notification of frequent flier program changes. Disclose cancellation and change fees. And, include hotel fees in room rates. These recommendations of the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections (ACACP) were announced after a year of tumultuous testimony at committee hearings.

Travelers United Chairman, Charlie Leocha, noted, “These strong recommendations, if instituted by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will change the face of airline travel and provide additional transparency, safety and competition for airline passengers and travelers.”
Travelers United’s comments on each recommendation are included parenthetically after each recommendation.
Recommendation 1: Encourage DOT to continue its participation in an interagency working group on the topic of safety and security issues relating to in-flight mobile electronic communications. (This is an ongoing safety and security working group that includes DOT, FAA and Homeland Security.)
Recommendation 2: Recommend that, if safe and secure, the DOT allow airlines to decide whether to permit passengers to use mobile devices for voice calls. (The committee believes that use of cell phones on planes should be controlled by airlines, rather than by legislation or regulation.)
Recommendation 3: Recommend that DOT ensure that its policies for fair and equitable gate and slot access encourage competition. (As consolidation has eroded competition at many large and slot-controlled airports, the committee asks that DOT, under its current powers, take a close look at gate and slot access.)
Recommendation 4: Recommend that the FAA do realistic testing to ensure that the “90 second evacuation test” can be met in a particular aircraft type when FAA certifies that aircraft. (The committee learned that no emergency evacuation testing has been done with airline seating installed with the tight seating found on many of today’s aircraft. Those tests should be changed to reflect today’s seating reality.)
Recommendation 5: Recommend that the DOT Secretary send a letter to airlines urging them to disclose seat dimensions on their websites. (Airlines presently do not tell passengers seat dimensions and the space between seats. They should do so.)
Recommendation 6: Recommend that the DOT Secretary send a letter to airlines with a copy to the IG stating that airlines should provide reasonable notice in a transparent manner about fundamental changes to loyalty/award programs (i.e. changing how you earn or redeem miles). (Frequent flier mileage program members should be provided advanced notice about changes to the programs. DOT already has enforcement authority.)
Recommendation 7: Recommend that DOT require change/cancellation fees be clear and displayed/disclosed in the booking path prior to ticket purchase. (Cancellation/change fees and rules need to be clearly displayed prior to airfare purchased.)
Recommendation 8: Urge FTC to require that mandatory hotel fees be included in published room rates. (Hidden hotel resort fees should be eliminated. Disclosure is not enough. Any mandatory fees must be included in the room rate.)
“These are important recommendations that can change the face of travel for consumers,”  Leocha stated. “Airline competition will be fostered, safety will be enhanced, airline rules clarified, and the cost of travel will be stripped of another hidden fee.”
Photo: Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection members (left to right) — Deborah Ale-Flint, Director Los Angeles Airport; David Berg, Chief Counsel for Airlines for America; Blane Workie, DOT Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings; Kathleen Kane, Pennsylvania Attorney General and committee chairman; Charlie Leocha, Chairman of Travelers United and consumer representative.