Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have introduced a bill that would increase competition in the airline industry and lower prices for consumers.
The legislation, called the “Airport Gate Competition Act,” was introduced on Tuesday. The bill aims to increase the number of common-use gates available to all airlines, which proponents argue would give smaller air carriers the opportunity to compete with the “big five” airlines.
These “big five” are Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
“Giant airlines that lease airport gates, sometimes for decades, would rather crush the competition and leave the gates empty than give smaller low-cost airlines a chance,” Warren said in a statement. “What these dominant airlines are doing is wrong and ultimately means higher prices for passengers.”
The largest airlines control a large number of gates and take-off and landing locations at their hub airports. Their size also allows them to negotiate better deals when purchasing planes.
With legislation increasing the number of gates in common use, small airlines could use their share of gates and reduce their operating costs.
“The Airport Gate Competition Act will open the door to more competition to make flying easier and cheaper,” Hawley said in a statement. “Consolidation in the airline industry helps multimillion-dollar corporations and hurts American workers.”
The bill would require airports to have at least a quarter of their gates available for common use, but the number cannot exceed 50 percent. The legislation would require “medium” and “large” hub airports, where one or two airlines represent more than half of passengers, to establish new or amended leases to enhance competition.
Warren and Hawley’s bill would also make it a “priority” for the Department of Transportation (DoT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to put competition at the forefront, especially when regulating all airlines.
“Increased competition for aviation giants will lower prices for travelers and allow millions of Americans who fly options for their preferred trips – and that starts with increasing access to airport gates,” Hawley said.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
