The US House passed the Daylight Savings Protection Act to make Daylight Savings Time permanent. Fox Business's Grady Trimble reports on the bill, which now heads to the Senate.
Airlines are warning that changes to existing practices during Daylight Saving Time (DST) will have a major impact on the industry and that changes will need to be implemented over time to address the challenges they will create in planning.
Airlines for America (A4A), a trade group that represents major US airlines, issued a statement this week that warned that changes to DST “will have a significant impact on flights, including passenger disruptions, crew and flight disruptions, and domestic and international connectivity issues.”
“Airlines operate large interconnected domestic and global networks that depend on stability and predictability. Any changes would require an implementation timeline that reflects these global issues,” the group said.
The warning came as the House on Tuesday advanced the Sun Protection Act, which would allow states to voluntarily observe DST year-round and end biannual clock changes, in a bipartisan 308-117 vote that sent the legislation to the Senate.
HOUSE PASSES SEVERAL TIME REVISIONS AS SUPPORT FOR TRUMP'S END TO CLOCK CHANGES
Airlines have warned that changing current practices around daylight savings time will create challenges that require an implementation timeline for the industry to address. (Reuters)
The bill faces uncertainty in the Senate, although President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill when it reaches his desk, as the White House has urged lawmakers to support the legislation.
Many states currently follow the practice of “forwarding” in March by moving the clocks forward one hour to Daylight Time, then “backward” by an hour in November to Standard Time.
Arizona and Hawaii are the only states that do not participate in that practice, while 20 states have passed legislation that would see them stay on DST indefinitely if approved by Congress.
DAYLIGHT SAVING: ABOUT SUNLIGHT
President Donald Trump has backed a bill to give states the option of permanent daylight savings time. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)
Proponents of permanent daylight saving time say it will eliminate the disruption caused by changing the clocks twice a year and boost tourism and outdoor activities with more sunlight on winter evenings.
Critics have argued that sunrises and sunsets earlier than standard time would better align with circadian rhythms, and would prevent situations where the sun would rise after 9 a.m. in the winter.
TRUMP CHAMPIONS LOOK AT SIX O'CLOCK CHANGES FOR ADVOCATING A GOOD TIME TO SAVE THE EARTH
A bill passed by the House to give states the option of permanent daylight saving time is being considered in the Senate. (J. David Ake/Getty Images)
The American public remains strongly opposed to the current practice of changing the clocks twice a year, as an AP-NORC poll released in December found that only 12% of respondents were in favor of the current system, while nearly half were opposed. The remaining 40% have no opinion.
The survey also asked about possible changes and found that 56% of Americans would prefer to make daylight saving time permanent with more light in the evening and less in the morning, while almost 4 in 10 would like to make standard time permanent so that there is more light in the morning and less in the evening.
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Adam Pack of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
