The Pacific Island Flight Alternatives Act of 2025 (PIFAA) would expand air-transport rules to allow certain foreign air carriers to stop in Guam or the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) in the middle of international itineraries. Specifically, foreign carriers from Japan, the Philippines, or the Republic of Korea that hold a foreign air carrier permit could add or remove passengers or cargo at Guam or CNMI without it counting as breaking the international journey when traveling between a place in the United States and a place outside the United States. The measure aims to increase competition and reduce costs on flights serving Guam, CNMI, Hawaii, and other destinations by enabling these stops as part of a longer international trip. The bill situates this change within the framework of U.S. air commerce law (amending Section 41703 of Title 49) and ties eligibility to existing permits under Section 41302. Its findings emphasize limited competition and reliance on select foreign carriers to supplement U.S. service to Pacific Islands, framing the policy as a way to improve affordability and connectivity for residents and travelers, as well as to support allied partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
Key Points
- 1Creates a new subsection (f) to 49 U.S.C. 41703 (Air Commerce in Guam and Northern Mariana Islands) that allows stops in Guam or CNMI to be treated as part of an international journey, not a break in travel, when the stop occurs as part of transportation between the U.S. and a place outside the U.S.
- 2Defines “authorized Pacific aircraft” as an aircraft registered to a foreign air carrier from Japan, the Philippines, or the Republic of Korea that holds a foreign air carrier permit under 49 U.S.C. 41302.
- 3Applies specifically to passengers or cargo added to or removed from such an aircraft at Guam or CNMI, in the course of transportation between the United States and a foreign destination.
- 4Grounds the change in stated findings about limited competition, high costs on Guam–CNMI–Hawaii routes, and the importance of allied carriers from Japan, the Philippines, and Korea to supplement U.S. carriers.
- 5Introduces the measure with the short title “Pacific Island Flight Alternatives Act of 2025” (PIFAA) and places it in the U.S. code via an amendment to existing air-transport law; it was introduced in the House of Representatives on February 24, 2025 and referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.