There ia a bill before the House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee allowing travellers to transfer a round trip paper ticket purchased after Jan. 1,2001 to another person without cost or penalty. On this proposal the original ticket holder would receive the frequent flier miles. This is bill HR 5347. There is also a clause to allow travelllers to disembark at a "hidden city" without penalty. Should we start to lobby for this as we know that the airlines are going to lobby against this proposal.

It'll die in a few days but I guess it can be resurrected for the next congress.

This is a silly bill. Hidden city ticketing is prohibited, in the best interest of the consumer.

If hidden city ticketing were banned, major airlines would simply not offer low fares in markets served by low fare carriers. So no more $600 roundtrip full fare LAX-ORD-BWI flights!

As far as tickets being non transferrable, again, that's pro consumer. How would you like it if some individual or travel agency bought up seats at peak travel periods and then resold them? Would certainly make it even more costly to travel during holiday periods.

Sometimes I think politicians have nothing better to do than to come up with senseless legislation.

I think this is a silly, if not harmful bill.

By forcing the airlines to give FF miles to the original flyer, they will be changing the terms of all FF programs. We would then be able to effective pool miles, by buying several tickets under one name then transfer them.

Also, it would give ticket brokers and consolidators and speculators the ability to hoard tickets.

For example, someone could then buy 40 or 50 tickets in adavnce at a discount for busy travel days, then wait till close to departure and re-sell those tickets to others.

We'd have a system of airline ticket scalpling and that wouldn't help consumers or airlines.

It would force airlines to raise the price of advance purchase tickets to narrow the gap between full fare and discount to prevent this from happening.

The bill was introducted in sept by Jim Gibbons of Nevada. It's been referred to committee, so its a long long way from becoming law.

Gibbons isnt exactly setting the congress on fire. His big claim to fame is a conveying 2 acres of federal land for a small town cemetery.

Sometimes?---you think this only *SOMETIMES*?

JD("God save me from politicians,who, no matter how bad the ultimate consequences or outcome, pass laws to be seen as doing something.")

Sorry...this got duped somehow...

[This message has been edited by Jet'Dillo (edited 11-06-2000).]

<< We'd have a system of airline ticket scalpling and that wouldn't help consumers or airlines. >>

We already have ticket scalping; it's done by the airlines instead of other people.

When you buy a ticket to a popular sporting event, you pay $X. If you wait until the last minute and go to the stadium to buy a ticket, it's 10 times $X -- the "walk-up price". Worse yet, if you can't go to the game, at least you can give it (or sell it) to someone else. You can't even give an airline ticket to a family member.

This bill un-scalps the air fare structure we have today. Not to worry, there won't be ticket hoarding. Airlines aren't that stupid. They will charge only slightly more for last-minute travel; a difference small enough to discourage scalping/squatting/hoarding.

Since most tickets purchased are cheap, and a few are expensive, the resulting lowest fare would not be significantly higher. The resulting highest fare would be drastically lower.