Biden enacts bipartisan FAA legislation

President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill on Thursday, enacting a law that aims to improve aviation safety and strengthen protections for passengers and airline workers. The legislation, which passed the House on Wednesday and the Senate last week, renews authority for the agency for the next five years and invests in air travel infrastructure nationwide.

In a statement after signing the bill, Biden highlighted a new Department of Transportation rule requiring automatic cash refunds instead of vouchers for canceled or significantly delayed flights. The President emphasized that the new law is a big win for travelers, the aviation workforce, and the economy, building on his Administration’s efforts to improve the travel experience for airline passengers.

The Biden administration first proposed changes to refund rules in 2022 after a surge in complaints during the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the new law, if a passenger declines an airline’s rebooking request or does not respond, the airline must issue an automatic refund. Additionally, the law requires the FAA to hire and train more air traffic controllers to close a gap of 3,000 vacancies and install additional runway technology at medium and large hub airports to reduce collisions and near-collisions.

The law also authorizes over $105 billion in funding for the FAA and $738 million for the National Transportation Safety Board for fiscal years 2024 through 2028. Biden had signed a one-week extension for federal aviation programs last week to allow the House to take up the reauthorization bill. CNN’s Clare Foran, Gregory Wallace, Tami Luhby, and Haley Talbot contributed to this report.