The American Society for Travel Advisors (ASTA) has endorsed the reintroduction of the Flight Refund Fairness Act (H.R. 5556), a bipartisan effort of the 119th Congress to protect travel agencies from unfair airline ticket refund liabilities. Representative Maria Salazar (R-FL) introduced the legislation in September, garnering support from both sides of the aisle.
“Travel advisors are consumer advocates. They navigate complex rules and fight for rightful refunds for their clients,” said ASTA President and CEO Zane Kerby in a press statement. “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. We applaud the original cosponsors of this legislation, led by Representative Maria Salazar, for recognizing this inequity.”
ASTA: Spearheading Campaigns
Current Department of Transportation regulations place travel agencies in a precarious position, requiring them to issue refunds for canceled or significantly altered flights, despite having no control over these decisions or possession of the funds. H.R. 5556 addresses this imbalance by shifting the responsibility for refunds to airlines and mandating that they return funds to ticket agents within the same 7-day timeframe applied to consumer reimbursements.
This legislation is particularly crucial for small travel agencies, which make up 80 percent of women-owned businesses in the sector and often specialize in group travel. By aligning airline responsibilities with consumer refund deadlines, H.R. 5556 safeguards small businesses from potential financial losses while maintaining consumer protections.
The bill has attracted broad support, with Representatives Mark Alford (R-MO) and Dina Titus (D-NV) joining Rep. Salazar in leading the initiative. Additional original cosponsors include Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Daniel Webster (R-FL).
“Miami is the premier tourism hub and the small businesses that support this industry must be protected,” said Rep. Salazar in a press statement. “I’m proud to reintroduce the bipartisan Flight Refund Fairness Act, which will remove a regulatory hurdle for small travel advisors that may otherwise jeopardize business operations, while ensuring consumers are able to get any potential refund in a timely manner.”
Industry advocacy efforts are ramping up, ASTA spearheading grassroots campaigns. The association plans to prioritize this legislation at its upcoming Legislative Day, where nearly 250 travel professionals will engage with congressional leaders about the impact on their businesses.
For more information, visit asta.org.
