A United States Senate committee has been assigned a bill that includes a provision to waive federal cabotage fees for domestic flights in American Samoa.
In October, the US Office of Insular Affairs submitted the proposed provision that would remove cabotage for flights between the main island of Tutuila and the Manu'a islands.
The flights are operated by the Samoa government-owned Polynesian Airlines under a cabotage waiver granted by the US Department of Transportation, which the airline is supposed to apply for every 30 days.
Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski, who introduced the bill, says the law would allow a non-US airline to operate the service without the need for the waiver.
