Department of Transportation Denies Airlines Exemption from New Fines
Anyone who has ever been stranded due to a delayed flight understands how stressful and frustrating it can be, especially when an airline denies passengers the means to exit the aircraft for an extended period of time. This may be mind-boggling to many consumers who have paid a significant sum for an airline’s services. In an effort to emphasize the importance of its new penalties for leaving passengers of delayed flights high and dry, the U.S. Department of Transportation recently denied the requests of five major airlines to be exempt from paying required fines effective on April 29, 2010.
An LA Times article reports that under the new Department of Transportation regulations, an airline can be fined up to $27,500 per passenger if passengers are stuck on a delayed plane for over three hours without being allowed to exit the plane. This could amount to millions of dollars in fines in some cases for a single aircraft found to have violated the new rules. Based on the story, JetBlue, Delta and American Airlines requested to be exempt from any fines for delays at JFK Airport in New York due to runway construction scheduled to end in December. In supporting the argument that construction at JFK would lead to more delays within the region, Continental airlines also requested to be let off the hook for delays at LaGuardia Airport and Newark International Airport. In addition, U.S. Airways asked to be excused from penalties for delays at Philadelphia International Airport.
The U.S. Department of Transportation denied the request in defense of consumers so that airlines can figure out solutions for delayed flights in rerouting or rearrangement of flights at JFK and neighboring airports. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood stated, “Passengers on flights delayed on the tarmac have a right to know they will not be held aboard a plane indefinitely.”
A Dallas Morning News article mentions that the new regulation for holding passengers on delayed flights makes certain exceptions for safety or security circumstances or when air traffic controllers believe that a return to the gate would throw-off airport operations. Airlines will also be required to supply passengers with potable water and food if a flight is on the runway for two hours. According to the article, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association of America, David Castleveter, voiced his disapproval of the new rule, stating it would bring about more cancellations, missed connections, mishandled bags, and an increased amount of passengers who will not be able to get to their destinations. The article also states that airline officials will continue to meet with Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration officials to get more specifics as to the enforcement of the rule and whether airlines will take the blame for delays that result from outside causes.
