Released: February 22, 2007

‘Bill of rights’ for fliers questioned

Source: Alan Levin, USA Today

Aviation experts warn that proposals for a “bill of rights” for airline passengers could lead to unwieldy regulations and could actually create more inconvenience for travelers. Pressure for legislation increased after hundreds of people were kept aboard nine grounded JetBlue planes for at least six hours Feb. 14 during an ice storm at New York’s Kennedy International Airport. Passengers on one plane were stuck for nine hours and said they had no food, water or clean bathrooms.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, introduced a bill on Saturday that would require airlines to let passengers leave a plane once it was delayed for three hours after its scheduled departure. It would also guarantee “adequate food and potable water” on delayed flights.

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., says he will introduce a broader bill when the House goes back into session next week. Several of his constituents were stranded on an American Airlines flight that sat on the tarmac in Austin for more than eight hours Dec. 29.

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