Airlines are cautioning that a congressional push to lock the nation's clocks onto daylight saving time year-round could trigger costly, multiyear disruptions to flight schedules, crew assignments, and international connections.
The warning comes as the Sunshine Protection Act, which would eliminate the twice-a-year clock change in favor of permanent daylight saving time, advances through Congress.
Industry Raises Alarm
Airlines for America said on July 14 that altering the current daylight saving time system "would have considerable implications for aviation, including passenger disruption, crew and aircraft positioning, and domestic and international connectivity issues." The trade group representing major U.S. carriers said airlines run tightly interconnected domestic and global networks that depend on stability and predictability, and that any change to the clock system would require an implementation timeline reflecting these complications.Bill Clears the House
The House of Representatives passed the legislation on July 14 in a 308-117 vote, sending it to the Senate for consideration. If the Senate approves the measure, it would go to President Donald Trump's desk for a signature.Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), a co-sponsor of the bill, defended the measure on the House floor. "For decades, Americans have been asking a simple question: Why are we forcing families, businesses and communities to adjust their schedules every spring and fall?" Bilirakis said. "The twice-yearly clock change is a relic of the past that no longer reflects the way Americans live, work and conduct business in the 21st century."
Democratic support also emerged for the bill. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) argued the legislation "addresses an issue on which many Americans actually agree, and that's stopping the biannual process of changing our clocks.” Pallone added that "only 12 percent of Americans prefer to switch their clocks twice a year," and said most Americans view the practice as "inconvenient and, frankly, disruptive.”
A Precedent From Europe
The aviation industry's concerns echo warnings issued nearly eight years ago on the other side of the Atlantic. According to an October 2018 joint statement from Airlines for Europe, Airlines International Representation in Europe, the European Regions Airline Association, and the International Air Transport Association, scrapping seasonal clock changes without full coordination among European Union member states would leave the aviation sector "in chaos." The groups said any shift needed to be synchronized across all EU nations to limit passenger confusion and missed flights, and recommended a lead time of at least 18 months so carriers could adjust fleet planning, crew rosters, and ticket sales, which typically begin roughly a year before travel dates.The European Parliament voted in 2019 in favor of ending the twice‑yearly clock changes, with an initial target of 2021, but that required member states and the Council to agree on how to implement it. According to the Council’s latest update, those follow-up decisions never materialized, so the plan to discontinue seasonal time changes has stalled and the existing system remains.