Flyers Rights Hearing Highlights Need for Passengers Rights Legislation.

9/23/20099:12:18 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Flyers Rights, Passengers Rights

FlyersRights.org and Business Travel Coalition (BTC) conducted a Passenger Rights Stakeholder Hearing before a packed hearing room of airline passengers, travel professionals, Congressional staff and media in the Rayburn House Office Building. Robert Crandall, former chairman of American Airlines, broke ranks with his former airline colleagues, saying that he supports legislation pending in the Senate that would require that passengers be allowed to deplane after a three-hour wait. However, he said returning passengers to terminals likely will result in more flight cancellations and modest fare increases. The bill makes an exception for instances when the pilot believes the plane will take off in the next half-hour or it might be unsafe to leave the plane.

Experts both for and against legislation to address a growing extended-tarmac-delay problem were sharply questioned by aviation journalists and travel industry professionals. The clear outcome from the hearing is that legislation is urgently required to address a growing passenger health and safety problem that airlines are apparently unable or unwilling to fix themselves. The hearing was sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), who have championed a three-hour national standard for providing passengers the option of deplaning, should an airline captain decide it is safe to do so. Their bills, S.213 and HR 674, were strongly endorsed by airline passengers, FlyersRights.org, BTC, other travel groups at the hearing.
PassengerRights.org Executive Director Kate Hanni testified: “The airline industry has been the voice of “no” for too long. The system is broken and passengers have been paying a dear price with their health, lost productivity and missed family events. This hearing shone a bright light on the fallacious arguments put forward by those airlines that seek to continue stonewalling against reforms that will benefit passengers and all airline industry stakeholders.”

Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the BTC, said there is now a clear expectation that Congress will move to enact legislation to create a national standard beginning with the requirement that airlines provide passengers an option to deplane after three hours. He called for Congress to phase-in a two-hour standard one year after the initial three-hour rule becomes effective. The Air Transport Association, which represents major airlines, declined invitations to attend the hearing. For more information, visit www.flyersrights.org  or www.BusinessTravelCoalition.com.