House and Senate lawmakers are nearing a compromise on a long-stalled bill to fund the Federal Aviation Administration, but it’s unclear whether an agreement can be reached before the current authorization expires at the end of the month, sources tell the Washington Examiner.
Amid opposition from Senate Democrats, lawmakers are said to have dropped a provision attached to the bill that would create a national benchmark for laws governing meal and rest breaks for truck drivers. It was one of several contentious measures that Republican and Democratic members from both chambers are trying to negotiate.
While discussions remain fluid, a deal could be announced as early as Friday. The tentative plan is for the House to vote on both a short-term extension — no longer than two weeks — and the pre-conferenced, long-term reauthorization, putting pressure on the Senate to act, sources say.
A spokesman for the House Transportation Committee said negotiators have made “significant progress,” but declined to comment further. A spokesman for the Senate Commerce Committee declined to comment. Spokespersons for Democrats on both panels did not respond to a request for comment.
Still to be determined is the fate of a slew of provisions despised by the airline industry, including one that would allow the government to set caps on the price that carriers can charge for services like ticket changes and seat selections. The ancillary fees are a money-maker for airlines, and the industry has aggressively fought to drop the measure from the Senate bill.
American Airlines’ top executive previously warned that the carrier could be forced to drop services like ticket changes if the provision is included in the final legislation.
Amid the mounting pressure from Congress, several airlines in recent weeks have announced price increases for checked luggage to counter some of the billions more they are expected to spend on fuel costs in 2018. Airlines for America, one of the industry’s top lobbying groups, previously said fuel prices were 31 percent higher in the six months through June compared with a year earlier.
United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, and others have all announced price hikes for checked bags, from $25 to $30.
American joined the other domestic carriers on Thursday and said it would also raise its baggage fee by $5, effective Sept. 21. When asked whether the hike is related to the rise in fuel costs, a spokeswoman said the fees are set “by market conditions.”
“Today’s changes are in line with what other competitors are charging,” she said.
[Also read: Airlines say booming US economy led to record summer travel]
