To allow certain foreign air carriers to stop in Guam or the Northern Mariana Islands in the course of transportation of passengers or cargo in either direction between a place in the United States and a place outside the United States, and for other purposes.
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Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Moylan (for himself and Ms. King-Hinds) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Pacific Island Flight Alternatives Act (PIFAA) allows foreign airlines from Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea to pick up and drop off passengers and cargo in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands during international flights. Currently, these airlines can only carry passengers and cargo through these territories without stopping. This change addresses a lack of air competition that has made flights from Guam to the mainland U.S. or Hawaii extremely expensive.
Who Benefits and How
Residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands benefit from increased flight options and potentially lower airfares due to greater competition. Foreign air carriers from Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea gain new revenue opportunities by accessing the Guam and CNMI markets. Passengers traveling between the U.S. mainland and Pacific destinations may find more convenient routing options.
Who Bears the Burden and How
U.S.-based airlines operating in the Pacific may face increased competition from foreign carriers that can now serve these routes. However, no new regulatory burdens, taxes, or compliance requirements are imposed on any party by this bill.
Key Provisions
- Allows aircraft from Japanese, Philippine, and South Korean carriers to add or remove passengers and cargo in Guam and CNMI during international journeys without breaking the trip
- Applies only to carriers that hold valid permits under existing U.S. aviation law (Section 41302)
- Amends Section 41703 of Title 49, U.S. Code, which governs foreign air transportation
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
To allow certain foreign air carriers from Japan, Philippines, and South Korea to stop in Guam or Northern Mariana Islands for passenger or cargo transfers without breaking their international journey.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
An aircraft registered to a foreign air carrier from Japan, Philippines, or South Korea that holds a permit under section 41302.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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