By now you have all heard about the Continental Expressjet nightmare where 47 passengers including babies were stuck on a runway for over 9 hrs! They were not offered food or drink and the bathroom was full, smelly and not working.
Well, thank goodness someone has finally decided to hold the airlines accountable for their actions. They have proposed a Bill of Rights for Airline Passengers which includes limiting time on the tarmac to 3 hours. In fact, one of the passengers will go to Washingon next month to tell his story to Congress in hopes that the bill passes.
After reading what they propose below please go to Airline Petition and sign it. I stopped flying a few years back because of this very problem. If I ever got stuck on the tarmac for even 4 hrs, I would be one of those crazy people you read about in the news! Ckaustraphobia-city!
I told my husband if they make it a law to limit time on a runway to 3 hrs, I will fly again. I can handle anything for 3 hrs if I know they HAVE to let you out.
Proposed Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights
All American air carriers shall abide by the following standards to ensure the safety, security and comfort of their passengers:
- Establish procedures to respond to all passenger complaints within 24 hours and with appropriate resolution within 2 weeks.
- Notify passengers within ten minutes of a delay of known diversions, delays and cancellations via airport overhead announcement, on aircraft announcement, and posting on airport television monitors.
- Establish procedures for returning passengers to terminal gate when delays occur so that no plane sits on the tarmac for longer than three hours without connecting to a gate.
- Provide for the essential needs of passengers during air- or ground-based delays of longer than 3 hours, including food, water, sanitary facilities, and access to medical attention.
- Provide for the needs of disabled, elderly and special needs passengers by establishing procedures for assisting with the moving and retrieving of baggage, and the moving of passengers from one area of airport to another at all times by airline personnel.
- Publish and update monthly on the company’s public web site a list of chronically delayed flights, meaning those flight delayed thirty minutes or more, at least forty percent of the time, during a single month.
- Compensate “bumped” passengers or passengers delayed due to flight cancellations or postponements of over 12 hours by refund of 150% of ticket price.
- The formal implementation of a Passenger Review Committee, made up of non-airline executives and employees but rather passengers and consumers – that would have the formal ability to review and investigate complaints.
- Make lowest fare information, schedules and itineraries, cancellation policies and frequent flyer program requirements available in an easily accessed location and updated in real-time.
- Ensure that baggage is handled without delay or injury; if baggage is lost or misplaced, the airline shall notify customer of baggage status within 12 hours and provide compensation equal to current market value of baggage and its contents.
- Require that these rights apply equally to all airline code-share partners including international partners.
Also check out this link Flyers Rights.
