Frequent flyers, travel agents and corporate travel officers are breathing easier after the U.S. Senate extended its protection of the ticket-buying public in the face of potential airline shutdowns.

The legislation, added as an amendment to the intelligence reform bill signed into law by President Bush in December, essentially requires that airlines operating on routes served by carriers that cease operations honor tickets issued by insolvent airlines, if space is available, at a cost not to exceed $50 per roundtrip. Passengers must make alternative arrangements with another airline within 60 days of the cessation of an airline’s operations.

Section 145 of the 2001 Aviation and Transportation Security Act was extended through Nov. 19 of this year.

The bill does not, on its face, specifically address the issue of award tickets, however. Numerous calls by InsideFlyer to lawmakers on the subject have not been returned.