Foreign airlines from Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea would be allowed to pick up and drop off passengers or cargo in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) while flying between the U.S. and other countries — without that stop counting as a separate domestic flight under federal law. Currently, a legal rule called cabotage restricts this kind of stop, effectively limiting competition and driving up ticket prices on routes serving these Pacific island communities. The bill responds to findings that limited airline competition has made flights between Guam, CNMI, and Hawaii unusually expensive. It applies only to carriers from those three allied nations that already hold a federal permit to operate in U.S. airspace.
Average Household Impact
- Air travel competition on Guam and CNMI routes — opens market to qualifying foreign carriers, creating downward pressure on fares for residents
Congressional Summary
Pacific Island Flight Alternatives Act of 2025 or PIFAAThis bill allows authorized foreign aircraft to pick up and drop off passengers and cargo in Guam or the Northern Mariana Islands on international flights to or from other places in the United States. Authorized aircraft are those registered to a foreign air carrier from Japan, the Philippines, or South Korea.Current law prohibits foreign air carriers from transporting passengers or cargo between places in the United States, with exceptions.The bill deems that passengers or cargo that are added to or removed from authorized foreign aircraft in Guam or the Northern Mariana Islands on a flight that is traveling between another place in the United States and an international location have not broken the international journey, thus allowing authorized foreign aircraft to transport passengers and cargo between Guam or the Northern Mariana Islands and other places in the United States on such flights.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-02-24
- Date Added
- 2026-05-04
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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