Pros and Cons of an Airline Passenger Bill of Rights
The U.S. Congress will be discussing proposed legislation this spring that would force airlines to improve their treatment of passengers. One bill would give passengers the option to leave a plane if it has been waiting on the runway for more than three hours (unless being cleared for takeoff is imminent or ground conditions are unsafe). Another bill would require airlines to disclose which of their flights are chronically delayed and improve their efforts to return all checked bags within 24 hours.
The notion of an airline passenger "Bill of Rights" is hardly a new one. Congress considered similar bills in 1999 but elected instead to let airlines police themselves via a set of agreed upon service standards. It will come as no surprise to anyone who has flown lately (or heard the latest news stories about the recent JetBlue debacle) that compliance has been lax.
So are these proposed laws the right way to go? Predictably, the airline industry complains about the proposed legislation, predicting that if enacted, these rules will lead to more cancelled flights, as airlines seek a way to avoid penalties for long delays. Others, like the American Society of Travel Agents, think that the list of rights should be more extensive, to address a wider variety of problems, including truthful information about fares, schedules, seating availability; more comfortable accommodations; and a return to court resolution of disputes (from which airlines are now mostly exempt).
Even if the proposed legislation is enacted, we urge that the laws be written carefully. According to the Wall Street Journal, the European Commission has implemented rules that require airlines to compensate passengers for unreasonable delays or flight cancellations. But since exemptions are made for delays resulting from security, weather, or mechanical problems, the airlines routinely use these claims as a way out.
What do you think? Let us know via email or by posting a comment below.
The notion of an airline passenger "Bill of Rights" is hardly a new one. Congress considered similar bills in 1999 but elected instead to let airlines police themselves via a set of agreed upon service standards. It will come as no surprise to anyone who has flown lately (or heard the latest news stories about the recent JetBlue debacle) that compliance has been lax.
So are these proposed laws the right way to go? Predictably, the airline industry complains about the proposed legislation, predicting that if enacted, these rules will lead to more cancelled flights, as airlines seek a way to avoid penalties for long delays. Others, like the American Society of Travel Agents, think that the list of rights should be more extensive, to address a wider variety of problems, including truthful information about fares, schedules, seating availability; more comfortable accommodations; and a return to court resolution of disputes (from which airlines are now mostly exempt).
Even if the proposed legislation is enacted, we urge that the laws be written carefully. According to the Wall Street Journal, the European Commission has implemented rules that require airlines to compensate passengers for unreasonable delays or flight cancellations. But since exemptions are made for delays resulting from security, weather, or mechanical problems, the airlines routinely use these claims as a way out.
What do you think? Let us know via email or by posting a comment below.
posted by Insider Travel Guides at 10:49 AM
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Update: The U.S. Senate held a hearing April 11, 2007 at which Barbara Boxer (D-CA) accused Air Transport Assocation President James May of failing to deliver on promises made in 2001 to self-regulate. May responded that it is the proliferation of corporate jets and private aircraft that are causing the delays.
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