Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced a bill this week to clear the way for flight-sharing operations. “Innovation is key to competition and accessibility,” Lee said in announcing the measure. “This bill adds definition and clarity to existing rules that will help unleash that innovation in the aviation community. Studies and experience with cost-sharing services have proven it to be safe and effective in other countries."

The legislation is one of a few measures that have emerged in the wake of the court decisions that back the FAA’s move to strike down Flytenow’s website that connected pilots with potential passengers who would share expenses on pre-planned Part 91 flights. The FAA essentially deemed that activity illegal charter, determining that pilots who solicit passengers using the website are “common carriers” and subject to commercial transportation requirements.

Lee’s bill, “The Aviation Empowerment Act,” directs the FAA to revise regulations within 60 days of enactment to ensure a person who holds a pilot certificate is able to communicate with the public in any way that person deems appropriate to facilitate a flight in which the pilots and passengers share operating expenses. The bill adds that “such flight-sharing operations…shall not be deemed a common carrier.”

Industry groups, such as NATA, have watched such measures closely, fearing they could open the door to illegal charter.