Following Klobuchar Efforts, Senate Commerce Aviation Subcommittee to Hold Hearing on United Airline's Forcible Removal of a Passenger from a Flight Earlier this Month

Press Release

Following efforts from U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, yesterday the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security announced that it will hold a hearing on United Airline's forcible removal of a passenger from a flight earlier this month. Two weeks ago Klobuchar, a member of the Commerce Committee's Aviation Subcommittee, called for a hearing on passenger protections after the forcible removal of a ticketed passenger on Flight 3411 from Chicago, Illinois to Louisville, Kentucky.

"After the United incident, I called for a hearing to examine the current airline passenger protections and needed improvements," Klobuchar said. "We need to discuss how to ensure that airline customers are protected and treated fairly throughout their travels."

Klobuchar and a group of senators also urged United Airlines to provide more information following the forcible removal of the ticketed passenger on Flight 3411. In the letter, Klobuchar called on United Airlines to provide a more detailed account of the incident and United's policy on boarding then removing ticketed passengers to accommodate United Airlines personnel. Today, United Airlines responded to the letter with information on new policies intended to protect passengers and prevent similar incidents.

Klobuchar is a national leader for passenger protections in aviation. She was a leading advocate for the Passenger Bill of Rights which was included as part of the 2012 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization, which protects consumer from unreasonable tarmac delays. She also supported the establishment of the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection in the 2012 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization. She has also supported efforts to ensure that ancillary fees are reasonable and proportional to the actual cost of providing the service. She also introduced the Stop Trafficking on Planes (STOP) Act to require training for flight attendants on recognizing and reporting suspected human trafficking. A provision based on this bill was included in the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act that was signed into law last year.

Source