Amendment To The Bill Would Allow Private Pilots To Find Cost-Sharing Passengers On The Internet

An amendment added to the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act of 2016 (AIRR) to reauthorize the FAA which was passed by the House Transportation Committee last week includes an amendment that could breathe new life into flight-sharing online companies like Flytenow.

The FAA had determined that private pilots could not use the Internet to find passengers willing to share expenses on flights, saying that it was a commercial enterprise and therefore pilots without a commercial rating were not eligible. But Congressman Mark Sanford (R-SC) offered an amendment which was accepted by the committee saying "Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall issue or revise regulations to ensure that a person who holds a private pilot  certificate may communicate with the public, in any manner the person determines appropriate, to facilitate a covered flight."

A "covered flight" is defined as "an aircraft flight for which the pilot and passengers share operating expenses in accordance with section 61.113(c) of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations."

In an opinion piece posted to the blog of The Goldwater Institute, the organization says that the legislation "would clarify that private pilots are free to communicate with their passengers using any form of communication they desire in order to facilitate flight sharing.  In other words, this bill would bring flight sharing, a practice that has occurred since the beginning of general aviation, into the 21st Century."

We tend to agree.

(Image from file)

FMI: Sanford Amendment