WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 1999 -- The airline industry is traveling
first class, thanks to the $1.3 million it invested in political
contributions during the first half of 1999, a Common
Cause study indicates.
Most of the contributions -- $982,000 --
consisted of "soft-money" donations to the two major parties.
Besides the donations, major airlines spent another $3 million
lobbying Congress and key regulators during the first half of the year.
Congress deregulated the airlines in
1978. Since then, they have been freed of most federal oversight
and also exempt from state and local consumer protections.
"The airline industry has been given
first-class treatment in Congress. Meanwhile, consumers are
relegated to third class," Common Cause president Scott Harshbarger
said.
Despite a doubling of consumer complaints
this year, Harshbarger and other consumer advocate say the airlines and
Congress have done next to nothing to improve service.
Congress this year backed away from
proposed passenger rights legislation, instead accepting a voluntary
industry plan that has no enforcement or monitoring
provisions.
"Big money won and the consumers
lost," Harshbarger said.
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