In July, 149 airline flights sat on tarmacs — with passengers in their seats — for more than three hours each.
Twenty-nine of those flights were delayed four hours or more. The longest wait, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data: 392 minutes. That’s more than six hours.
Since January 2007, more than 200,000 domestic passengers have been stuck on more than 3,000 planes for three hours or more, according to a USA Today analysis of DOT data.
For a decade, airlines have promised to voluntarily improve the way they handle such problems, but they also claim that lengthy waits are rare. In the absence of real change, we’re glad Congress is considering an airline passenger bill of rights that would give consumers some recourse for interminable waits in uncomfortable, stuffy planes.
A Senate bill co-sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., would force airlines to allow passengers to deplane after three hours of sitting. The legislation allows captains to waive the requirement if takeoff is expected within 30 minutes.
The bill also says carriers must provide food and water, adequate restroom facilities and ventilation, comfortable cabin temperatures, and necessary medical treatment to those passengers stranded on flights.
These are reasonable demands of airlines, many of which already have such poor reputations for customer service.
The House passed a similar bill, but that version would allow individual airlines to determine when passengers could deplane after a lengthy stop. We urge Congress to stand behind consumers, and not water down rules in the final version of the bill, which is attached to legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration.
Strong lobbying by the Air Transport Association, the group that represents the airlines, has deterred previous attempts at legislation. The group says tight rules could prove costly to travelers and delays could be even longer.
Ironically, about a quarter of the delays in July were caused by factors under airline control, including maintenance issues or crew problems. About another 25 percent of the delays were caused by non-extreme weather, air traffic control or airport operations.
We would have preferred for airlines to clean up this mess on their own. But like many businesses that dominate an industry, the airlines have for too long used superficial remedies and high-paid lobbyists to shun responsibilities. Such power does not entitle carriers to hold passengers hostage.
Perhaps more vocal consumer advocates, the opinions of former airline officials, or more likely, the backing by business travel organizations will finally push Congress and the airline industry to give passengers what they deserve and what they’ve been promised for years.
