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H 7847Rights & Warranties

Commercial Law - General Regulatory Provisions - Unfair Sales Practices

This bill prohibits expiration dates and additional fees on purchased airline tickets and flight vouchers in Rhode Island.

Held for study
Population
Affected
35
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Corporations

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends Rhode Island's unfair sales practices laws to protect consumers purchasing airline tickets and flight vouchers. It strictly prohibits airlines and travel agencies from placing expiration dates on purchased tickets or vouchers. Additionally, it bans the imposition of surcharges or service fees on these items. Companies are required to maintain accurate records of all ticket sales, including dates and value. Violations of this law are punishable by a fine of up to $200. These protections do not apply to complimentary tickets issued through loyalty or rewards programs.

For younger readers

Imagine you bought a ticket for a plane ride but couldn't go on the trip. Sometimes, companies say you have to use that ticket by a certain day, or it disappears and you lose your money. This new rule says that if you pay for a plane ticket or get a voucher, the company cannot put a time limit on it. It never expires. Also, they cannot charge you extra money just to keep it. This helps make sure you don't lose the money you spent on your trip.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
TravelersAirline companiesTravel agenciesBusiness travelersVacationers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

High. The federal Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 (ADA) prohibits states from enacting laws related to a price, route, or service of an air carrier. Courts have broadly interpreted "price" and "service." Regulating ticket expiration dates and fees almost certainly falls under federal jurisdiction. This bill would likely be struck down under the Supremacy Clause due to federal preemption.

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Protects consumers from corporate exploitation by preventing airlines from confiscating the value of purchased tickets through arbitrary expiration dates.
  • Eliminates hidden fees and surcharges ("junk fees") on travel vouchers, ensuring financial fairness for working-class families who save for travel.
  • Mandates corporate accountability by requiring airlines and travel agencies to maintain accurate records of sales and values owed to customers.
  • The maximum fine of $200 is negligible for multi-billion dollar airline corporations and provides no real deterrent against violating the law.
  • By making it easier to stockpile flight credits, the bill may inadvertently encourage air travel, which has a high carbon footprint, rather than sustainable transit.
  • Likely faces significant legal challenges due to federal preemption laws (Airline Deregulation Act), potentially wasting state resources on litigation that could be used for social programs.
For Conservatives
  • Protects individual property rights by ensuring that consumers retain the value of the goods and services they have purchased with their own money.
  • Ensures transparency in transactions, preventing businesses from changing the terms of a deal after money has been exchanged.
  • Requires clear disclosure of restrictions for promotional items, supporting the principle that contracts should be clear and understood by all parties.
  • Imposes heavy-handed government regulations on private businesses, dictating how they must manage their inventory and financial liabilities.
  • Interferes with the free market by restricting the right of businesses to set their own terms of service, expiration policies, and fee structures.
  • Creates an administrative burden on companies by mandating specific record-keeping practices that may differ from their standard operations.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 29 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 6-13 of the General Laws entitled "Unfair Sales Practices" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 6-13-12.2. Airline tickets -- Flight vouchers.

(a) "Airline ticket" or "flight voucher" means a record evidencing a promise, made for monetary or other consideration, by the seller or issuer of record that air travel services will be provided to the owner of record for the value shown in the record and includes, but is not limited to:

(1) A record that contains a microprocessor chip, magnetic strip, or other means of storage of information that is pre-funded and for which the value is decremented upon each use;

(2) An airline ticket;

(3) A flight voucher; or

(4) A similar record or card.

(b) Any airline company, or corporation (airline) or travel agency that sells airline tickets or vouchers shall be required to record the sales and keep an accurate and complete record of each airline ticket or flight voucher issued. The record shall include the date of issue; the full value of the airline ticket or flight voucher; and the identification number assigned by the airline to the airline ticket or flight voucher.

(c) It shall be unlawful for any airline or travel agency of any kind to charge any surcharge or additional service or maintenance fee on airline tickets or flight vouchers or to limit the time for the redemption of airline tickets or flight vouchers or to place an expiration date upon airline tickets or flight vouchers. No airline ticket, flight voucher or any agreement shall contain language suggesting that an expiration date may apply to the airline ticket or flight voucher. Any airline or travel agency that shall violate the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars ($200).

(d) This section shall not apply to airline tickets or flight vouchers that are distributed to a traveler pursuant to an awards, loyalty, or promotional program without any money or other thing of value being given in exchange for the airline ticket or flight voucher. Any restrictions or limitations that such airline ticket or flight voucher may be subject to shall be disclosed to the traveler, in writing, at the time the airline ticket or flight voucher are issued to the traveler.

(e) This section shall not prohibit airlines and travel agencies from refunding any unused portion of an airline ticket or flight voucher that is issued.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.