Here is the proposed 11-point Airline Passenger Bill of Rights:
*. Establish procedures to respond to all passenger complaints within 24 hours and resolve them within two weeks.
* Notify passengers within 10 minutes of a delay of known diversions, delays, and cancellations, through airport overhead announcement, on-aircraft announcement, and airport television monitors.
* Return passengers to a terminal gate after a plane has been on the tarmac for longer than three hours without connecting to a gate.
* Provide passengers with adequate food, water, sanitary facilities, and access to medical attention during delays lasting longer than three hours.
* Provide for the needs of disabled, elderly, and special needs passengers by establishing procedures for assisting with the moving and retrieving of baggage, and the moving of passengers from one area of the airport to another at all times by airline personnel.
* Publish and update monthly online a list of chronically delayed flights that are 30 minutes late or more, at least 40 percent of the time during a single month.
* Refund tickets at 150 percent of their price for bumped passengers or passengers delayed by flight cancellations or postponements over 12 hours.
* Establish a Passenger Review Committee, including members who are passengers and consumers, that would have the authority to review and investigate passenger complaints.
* Make lowest fare information, schedules and itineraries, cancellation policies, and frequent flyer program requirements available in an easily accessible location and updated in real-time.
* Ensure that baggage is handled without delay or injury. When bags are lost or misplaced, the airline will notify customers of baggage status within 12 hours and provide compensation equal to the current market value of the baggage and its contents.
* Require that these rights apply equally to all airlines code-share partners, including international partners.
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Timeline for Passenger Rights Bill
Feb.17: The bill is introduced in the U.S. Senate.
March 1: The bill is introduced in the U.S. House.
April 11: The Senate Aviation Subcommittee holds a hearing on passenger rights.
April 20: The House Subcommittee on Aviation holds a hearing on consumer issues.
May 16: The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation includes the Passenger Bill of Rights in a bill re-authorizing funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
June 13: The Coalition for Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights releases its first report card on the airlines.
Sept. 19: Air travel activists stage a "strand-in" at the National Mall in Washington, DC, demonstrating what it's like to be on a grounded plane for eight or more hours.
Sept. 24: The House passes a re-authorization bill for the FAA which includes portions of the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights.
Nov. 6: The House passes a continuing resolution for temporary funding of the FAA, which otherwise would have expired on Nov. 16. Congress now has until Dec. 31 to approve full funding for the FAA.
