WIll We Ever See a Passenger Bill of Rights?
Imagine being stuck 10 hours on a plane, on the tarmac. Not going anywhere. No water or food. No working toilets. It happens more than it should, especially in this storm-wracked winter.
It happens more than the airliners would like to admit.
Remember Howard Beale in the movie, Network? The guy who yelled out the window that he was mad as hell and wasn’t going to take it any longer?
That’s how today’s passengers feel, except it’s hard as hell to yell out of an airplane window.
So, instead, passenger-rights groups continue to lobby congress to come up with a Passenger Bill of Rights that insists airlines explain exactly why a flight is delayed. Additionally, the groups are looking for airliners to provide adequate food, water, sanitary facilities and access to medical attention for passengers left stuck on planes. Lastly, and under no conditions, should a plane sit on the tarmac for longer than three hours.
Makes sense, right?
Well, every time passenger groups have tried for a substantial Bill of Rights, the airlines blocked them.
FlyersRights does report some good news: On December 21, 2009 the Department of Transportation announced their enforceable version of a three hour rule, as ordered by President Obama in an executive order.
But it’s not nearly comprehensive enough, and even this attempted to appease a frustrated public is in real danger of being watered down by the airline industries major coalition, the Air Transport Association.
If you buy a jug of milk and it’s sour, you return it. The supermarket apologizes, gives you a fresh carton and you feel valued.
But if your seat is broken on a long flight, or if you’re stuck on the runway for hours or candidly, if anything goes wrong with your flight experience, you won’t get a sympathetic hearing or likely fair compensation.
If you protest the way Beale did, you’ll be cited for “air rage.”
The airlines spend millions in lobbying congress to keep control of any legislation affecting customer relations.
But if you‘ve had it, are mad as hell, and believe a passenger bill of rights is the right thing to do, sign the Passenger Bill of Rights petition at the FlyersRights web site.
Maybe this time it’ll be different. Maybe the airlines will listen.
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