ACPAC Modernization Act
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Would add a ticket agent representative to the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee, which advises the Department of Transportation on airline customer service issues.
The change would give ticket agents a formal seat alongside air carriers, airport operators, and consumer advocates on the panel that helps shape federal airline consumer protection policy.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to add a ticket agent representative to the membership of the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC), which advises the Department of Transportation on airline customer service improvements. Currently the committee's membership must include one representative each from air carriers, airport operators, state or local governments with consumer protection expertise, and nonprofit public interest groups with consumer protection expertise. The bill would also strike a reference to "ticket agents" from a separate subsection of the same law dealing with the committee's structure, aligning that provision with the new formal membership category created elsewhere in the section.
Key provisions
- 1Would add a representative of ticket agents as a new required member category of the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee
- 2Would strike the reference to 'ticket agents' from a separate subsection of the same law addressing the committee's structure
Who would be affected
Ticket agents (businesses that sell airline tickets on behalf of carriers), the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee itself, the Department of Transportation, and the existing committee members representing air carriers, airport operators, state and local governments, and consumer groups.
Why it matters
Adding a ticket agent seat would give that industry a direct voice in advisory discussions that shape Department of Transportation policy on airline customer service, potentially influencing future consumer protection rules or recommendations that affect how tickets are sold and how passenger complaints are handled.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Section 411 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (49 U.S.C. 42301 prec. note) (Sec. 2)
Adds ticket agents as a required membership category on the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee and removes a prior reference to ticket agents in subsection (i).
Agencies directed to act
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates H.R. 5663 would cost less than $500,000 over the 2026–2030 period, with no effect on direct spending, revenues, or the deficit.
H.R. 5663, the ACPAC Modernization Act, would add ticket agents to the membership of the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee, which advises the Department of Transportation on air-passenger consumer protections. CBO estimates that adding one additional member would cost less than $500,000 over the 2026–2030 period; that spending would be subject to the availability of discretionary appropriations (funds Congress must separately approve each year). The bill would have no effect on direct (mandatory) spending, revenues, or the federal deficit, and CBO found no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill expands the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC) membership to include a ticket agent representative. ACPAC advises the Department of Transportation in carrying out activities relating to airline customer service improvements.
Under current law, the membership must include one representative each of (1) air carriers, (2) airport operators, (3) state or local governments with expertise in consumer protection matters, and (4) nonprofit public interest groups with expertise in consumer protection matters.
Legislative subjects
Advisory bodies; Aviation and airports; Consumer affairs; Department of Transportation; Executive agency funding and structure; Transportation and Public Works
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-547