HB4193, titled the Time is Money Act, would direct the Secretary of Transportation to revise federal aviation regulations governing when a flight is considered “significantly delayed or changed.” Under current rules referenced in the bill, the threshold is 3 hours for domestic itineraries and 6 hours for international itineraries; the bill would lower those thresholds to 2 hours for domestic flights and 5 hours for international flights. The Secretary would be required to issue the necessary regulations within 180 days of enactment.
The practical effect of the bill would be to expand the number of flight disruptions that qualify as significant delays or changes under federal rules, which could affect airline obligations, passenger rights, and how carriers handle rebooking, refunds, or other remedies tied to major schedule changes. It would amend the relevant Department of Transportation regulation in title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, specifically section 260.2, and would likely increase compliance obligations for airlines operating domestic and international itineraries.
The available context shows no recorded votes or committee debate, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to assess. Based on the bill’s purpose and title, the measure appears to be framed as a consumer-protection and passenger-relief proposal, but the official record provided does not show support or opposition from members.
Because there are no transcripts or votes, there are also no specific points of contention documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of debate, if the bill advances, would likely center on whether the lowered delay thresholds are appropriate, how they would affect airline operations and costs, and whether the changes would meaningfully improve passenger protections.
Impact
HB4193 would require the Department of Transportation to amend federal aviation regulations, lowering the delay/change thresholds in 14 C.F.R. section 260.2 from 3 to 2 hours for domestic flights and from 6 to 5 hours for international flights. This would broaden the set of flight disruptions treated as significantly delayed or changed, potentially increasing airline obligations to passengers and affecting refund, rebooking, and compensation-related practices tied to federal rules.
Sentiment
No committee discussion or vote record is provided, so there is no measurable legislative sentiment in the materials. The bill’s framing as the Time is Money Act suggests a passenger-focused, consumer-protection rationale, but the official context does not show whether lawmakers have expressed support, concern, or opposition.
Contention
There are no documented points of contention in the provided transcripts or voting history. If debated, likely issues would include the impact on airline costs and scheduling flexibility versus the benefit of stronger passenger protections and earlier remedies for delayed or changed flights.