Jeff Duncan: “I have just introduced H.R. 2748, the Air Service Improvement Act. This is a bill which could help bring down the cost…”

“I have just introduced H.R. 2748, the Air Service Improvement Act. This is a bill which could help bring down the cost of air travel for small- or medium-sized airports. Today it costs people in cities likes Knoxville, Syracuse, and many other places much more to fly a couple of hundred miles than it does for people in many large cities to fly to Europe or across the entire country. This bill would open up new slots for airlines to serve underserved cities. It would provide a special grant program to help airports attract low-cost airlines to help bring down ticket costs. It would set up new, faster procedures for handling anticompetitive predatory pricing complaints against some airlines. The bill would set up a loan guarantee program to help airlines purchase commuter planes if they agree to serve underserved airports for at least 1 year. The Air Service Improvement Act, if passed, could be a major step in helping to end the great unfairness that exists today in the price of airline tickets. I urge my colleagues to join me in bringing this much needed relief for air travelers in our small- and medium-sized cities.”