22 December 2009

Order to limit tarmac delays: boon or bust for passengers?

News that the US Transportation Department is aiming at tarmac horror stories by ordering airlines to let passengers stuck in stranded planes leave after three hours was met with kudos and complaints.

Supporters hailed it as a victory for passengers and their rights; some critics, however, viewed it as a sham.

"With its new regulations, the Transportation Department sent an unequivocal message on the eve of the busy holiday travel season: Don’t hold travelers hostage to delayed flights," said the AP.

On the other hand, the new rules were denounced as "toothless" by some consumer advocates.

One of the biggest objections among consumer groups was that the ruling did not go far enough.

Kate Hanni, who founded FlyersRights.org after she was stuck for more than nine hours on a tarmac, said Congressional legislation is still needed.

Michael Boyd, an aviation industry consultant, said tarmac delays are a symptom of a bigger problem — an outdated national air traffic control system that has not kept pace with growth in travel.

"Don’t blame the airlines," he said. "Bad weather and an air traffic control system that can’t handle it are the problem."

Consumer advocates have been pressing the US Congress for at least a decade to do something about hours-long tarmac delays. However, past efforts to address the problem have fizzled in the face of industry opposition and promises to reform.

Many airlines refused to comment on the new requirements but they were clearly lukewarm at best about the move.

"We will comply with the new rule even though we believe it will lead to unintended consequences -- more canceled flights and greater passenger inconvenience," said James C. May, president and CEO of the Air Transport Association of America (ATA).

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the three-hour limit and other new passenger protections long sought by consumer advocates.

From January to June of this year, 613 planes were delayed on tarmacs for more than three hours, their passengers kept on board.

Under the new rule, airlines must provide food and water for passengers within two hours of a plane being delayed on a tarmac and maintain operable lavatories. They must also provide medical attention when necessary. The regulation provides exceptions only for safety or security or if air traffic control advises the pilot that returning to the terminal would disrupt airport operations.

Under the new regulations, airlines would be fined $27,500 per passenger for each violation of the three-hour limit, according to LaHood. He called the new regulations the Obama Administration’s "passenger bill of rights."

The new rule is effective in 120 days.

By David Wilkening