In the early hours of Saturday morning the US congress released a 1200 page bill that will force some major changes to their airline industry, and perhaps even globally.
But the bill that must pass on September 30 to become law isn't all bad news for airlines.
Drone prone
One of the first things the bill looks into is the widespread use of drones. It states the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must "broaden existing rules" around package delivery drones like those used by Amazon.
Dogs gone
It does sound odd that this isn't already a law, but the new bill will make it illegal to carry any animal in the overhead storage compartment. This follows the death of a dog on a United Airlines flight in March.
Stretch your legs
This one will be popular with all travellers. The FAA will be required to set minimum sizes for seats on-board aircraft, to stop the decreasing size of seats to allow for extra capacity.
Game of phones
The bill will finally make it illegal to make or take mobile phone calls during a flight. Hooray! The same rule will apply to e-cigarettes, so hipsters be warned.
There's a nap for that
Cabin crew members around the world have been asking for this for decades, and now it could happen. They will now be entitled to the same rest period between flights as pilots, ten hours.
Whether or not
There will also be a requirement for regulators to determine if it is 'unfair or deceptive' for airlines to tell passengers that a flight is delayed, or cancelled due to weather alone, when other factors are involved.
If a flight is affected by weather, the airline doesn't need to cover any costs for travellers who are affected. If the delays are due to something such as maintenance or staffing, then the airline is legally obliged to assist passengers financially. Some airlines have been known to blame weather when it's not been the cause of a delay or cancelation.
Newshub/Reuters.
