New rule may add more misery to air travel
The upside is that new government rules may make it less likely you’ll be stranded for hours inside an airplane this summer. The down side is that you might be grounded for days.
The new rule that goes into effect next week says passengers will have the right to get off a plane if its stuck on a tarmac for three hours (unless de-planning would be a safety hazard).
“Two airlines — Continental and US Airways — are already telling pilots to return planes to the gate in time to beat the deadline,” reports the AP.
Airline officials say hundreds of flights are likely to be canceled at the hint of bad weather as carriers try to avoid potential fines in the millions of dollars for violating the three-hour rule. If planes are full this summer, as expected, bumped travelers may have trouble finding empty seats on later flights.
The nation’s airlines, which adamantly oppose the rule, say it is going to cause passengers more hardship because it will lead to even more flights being canceled. That isn’t a threat, says David Castelveter, vice president of the Air Transport Association of America, "but rather reality."
"Some will err on the side of caution and pre-emptively cancel flights, stranding passengers,” predicts Castelveter.
Airlines are particularly concerned about airports in New York and Philadelphia, where delays from construction projects and ongoing air-traffic congestion are expected to back up flights.
Delays longer than three hours are generally rare. In 2009, the government counted 903 out of more than 6.4 million flights — one for every 7,143, leading some experts to say the new law is not needed.
"The misery index for airline passengers is definitely going to go up," said David Stempler, an aviation lawyer and president of the Air Travelers Association.
There are also two sides predicting the summer outcome. Some experts — including the airlines — predict days-long delays may not be unusual.
But others say cancellations aren’t likely because financially strapped carriers won’t risk losing revenue and passenger loyalty at a time they desperately need both.
The new rules mean airlines now have a powerful financial incentive to cancel flights early. The maximum penalty for violating the new rules is $27,500 per passenger per day. For a fully loaded medium-sized jetliner such as a Boeing 737, that adds up to more than $3.5 million.
However, government officials say they rarely impose the maximum penalties.
Who’s right? More lengthy and possibly costly delays or not?
Travelers won’t know until the first big summer thunderstorm paralyzes a major hub. Weather is recognized as the biggest cause of long tarmac delays.
By David Wilkening
David
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