Ranking Members Cohen, Larsen Introduce Bill to Make Airlines More Resilient Against Disruptions

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, and Congressman Rick Larsen (WA-01), Ranking Member of the full House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, released the following statement after introducing the Ensuring Airline Resiliency to Reduce Delays and Cancellations Act. The new bill would require airlines to develop operational resiliency plans that ensure adequate preparedness for future flight disruptions, like those stemming from the CrowdStrike global outage experienced last week.

"Commercial air travel is vital for working people and middle-class families who rely on it for their livelihoods and personal lives," Ranking Member Cohen said. "The recent wave of Delta flight cancellations underscores the urgent need for better operational resiliency in our airlines. Our bill will ensure that airlines have robust strategies in place to prevent and limit future disruptions and protect passengers from schedule changes that can cost time and money. We are committed to holding airlines accountable, safeguarding the interests of travelers across the nation, and ensuring an incident of this magnitude does not affect flying passengers in the future."

"Last week's technology meltdown left thousands of flights cancelled and thousands more families and travelers stranded at airports across the country," Ranking Member Larsen said. "The flying public deserves a safe, smooth, and worry-free travel experience, and the airlines were unable to provide that. By requiring airlines to enhance their operational resiliency plans, this legislation ensures airlines will be thinking ahead and better prepared for future large-scale disruptions like last week's outage. The airlines can and must do better."

Click here to read the bill text. Click here for a fact sheet on the bill.

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