Daylife/AP Photo by Akira Suemori
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A federal task force that spent nearly a year wrestling with ways to assist people delayed for hours aboard planes parked on tarmacs has finalized its recommendations — none of which requires airlines and airports to do anything.
The tarmac task force, as it is informally known, is expected to vote on guidelines for airlines and airports on how to craft their own contingency plans for dealing with lengthy tarmac delays.
Kate Hanni, a task force member and passenger rights advocate, said Tuesday there is nothing in the draft document that requires airlines or airports to provide additional services for passengers stranded aboard airplanes going nowhere…
“We were hoping at a bare minimum to come out of this task force with a definition of what is an extensive on-ground delay,” Hanni said, but that didn’t happened because the airline industry “doesn’t want anything that is remotely enforceable.”
Perish the thought that our government might come up with a solution to problems that might inconvenience corporate America. So – one more time – the essential message from Washington is Screw the Consumer!
T>R>A>I>N.
at least you can get up and walk around… maybe even get something to eat!
I’ll never forget the cream of wheat!
Perish the thought that our government might come up with a solution to problems that might inconvenience corporate America. So – one more time – the essential message from Washington is Screw the Consumer!
So – one more time – people expect the government to take care of them.
Here’s a thought: Maybe this is the reason the airlines are failing. Customer service? Do we really have to? Oh thank you for not forcing us to have to do customer service!
All it will take is for one lawyer to get stuck on a tarmac for a day, and that airline will be bankrupt.
# 2 LibertyLover said, “So – one more time – people expect the government to take care of them.”
Right, ff you don’t like a product from a certain company don’t buy it. Eventually, if enough consumers don’t like it, the company will go under.
LibertyLover, what alternative to regulation do you see here?
If you’ve been sitting in a plane for 8 hours with no toilets, and face arrest if you try to open a door, do you tell yourself it’s just the American Way?
Are you saying that competition between airlines is supposed to address this problem?
#5, See #3 and #4.
It appears I can only view articles when I comment… So I’m commenting. (Sorry, this is a useless comment)
i cant be sympathetic to the air travellers plight, i cannot afford to go anywhere let alone on a plane.. i’m lucky to be able to make car payments and health insurance..
some people have no perspective……..
#2 – Loser
>>So – one more time – people expect the government
>>to take care of them.
Yep. That’s what the government is there for. To protect citizens against things against which they cannot protect themselves.
If the Russians invade Sarah Palin’s ‘hood, we expect the government to protect us. If Nike tries to work 2nd-graders in Boise 18-hour shifts without a coffee break, we expect the government to protect us. If credit card companies engage in predatory lending practices, we expect the government to protect us. And if the airlines engage in systematic and uncontrolled abuse of passengers, we expect the government to protect us.
And #4 – Paddy-RAMBO; #1 – bill
I take the train or the bus whenever possible. Flying somewhere is my absolute LAST RESORT. Unfortunately, it’s sometimes necessary, and just saying “waaaaah, I’m not buying your product, airline” doesn’t do the trick. For the most part, the airlines have a captive audience. NOBODY I know flies nowadays unless they absolutely have to.
So…government protection ….. BRING IT ON!!
#6 LL: We’ll all just stop flying until the airlines promise to deliver better service?
Or we’ll fly only on airlines that deliver better service? Seems to me there are none. And thanks to ‘deregulation’ my regional hub is dominated by a single airline, NWA. They’re the one that left people on the planes in Detroit for 11 hours.
What you’re really saying is – this situation will never change.
Complains about airlines delays are tied to the overall attractiveness of stewardesses, not cost or the government’s ineptitude.
In other words, if the women looked better business travelers wouldn’t mind being stuck with them.
#9 – mustard,
Yeah, this particular issue can’t be addressed by consumer responsibility. It is obvious that the airlines MUST have a plan for handling tarmac delays. Get a shuttle over to the plane and release the passengers after a couple hours or so… something.
Consumers can’t just get off the plane and leave, thus the government MUST enforce rules that the producer (airline/airport) must follow.
Imagine the horror of unruly children, gassy passengers, etc… There could be murders on these planes because these asshat airlines can’t come up with a solution.
It amazes me that this is even an issue.
#12 – it’s actually worse than that. After hours without food, water or toilets, people with medical problems (diabetes, blood pressure, congestive heart failure, failing kidneys, circulatory blood clots) could be in serious trouble.
Eventually someone will simply die on a parked plane and the issue of regulation will be faced realistically. The airlines realize this can happen but feel their legal liability is less than the cost of actually managing this problem.
One time when I had (yet undiagnosed) chicken pox, I was strapped in a coach airline seat and stuck on the tarmac for hours while they “fixed the pilot’s chair”. They wouldn’t let anybody off, and there was no a/c and the coach seat was really having a negative effect on my chicken pox sores. It hurt a lot. It was hell. Pure hell. The walkway was still attached and the door was open. They coulda let us off but wouldn’t. This was many hours. I was in tears. Airlines need to revise their policies.
Just let the tarmac task force have their next meeting on a plane (the smaller the better!) parked on a tarmac. The plane is not allowed to move and they are not allowed to leave until a reasonable solution is created. I’d bet most of these task force members have never spent any significant time as a passenger on a commercial flight in decades and don’t understand what the inconveniences are!
About two months ago I got stuck on a Continental flight for 2 hours AFTER THE PLANE LANDED. There was a storm and they gave some bs excuse that the other planes couldn’t take off so we had to wait for a gate. Fine, let those people who are waiting anyway sit on the tarmac and let me off the plane so I can go home.
#15 – I like your suggestion 🙂
#2 – LibertyLover – right on!
It’s obvious the lobbyists got to this task farce.
To everyone that says vote with your dollars to support an airline that provides better service, I agree but have little hope.
Everyone is competing on price. People have voted this is the most important factor by far over the past few decades.
I work in telecom. Deregulation brought significant pricing declines for everything from simple phone lines to cell phones to high speed data circuits. Long distance used to be very expensive (remember calling relatives after hours?). Now long distance is free in many cases.
But everyone brought the hate on that service declined. Let me tell you – there is no way to support the old service levels if all the customer looks for is the lowest, rock-bottom price. Or free as is the case with long distance.
I pity the carrier that attempts to provide a higher level of service that requires paying an additional 10%. They won’t last long.
#8 – AdmFubar – Your travel bailout is on the way!
But here’s something for your perspective. Some of us are required to fly in our jobs. We have to make our car and insurance payments too.
Your hard-earned tax dollars at rest.
Repukes at work again !!! Can’t find ANYTHING WRONG WITH CORPS ***SCREWING THE PUBLIC*** !!! Dumbya Bush and Prick Cheney CONTINUE TO GIVE AMERICA THE FINGER !!!
#21 – JimD – Glad to see you have the Hope!
Remember this task force was put together by a Democratic controlled Congress (who across the board have a 9% approval rating). But maybe you’re right. It’s only the nastiness of the Repubs that turned this into a draft with no bite. Come January, Obama, Pelosi and Reid will fix it.
#18, good point but that’s exactly why we need government regulation in this case – level playing field. There has to be a floor below which service can’t sink.
#1,
yep, and a 2-4 hour trip turns into a 2 day trip..
#4
very true. EXCEPT. this is like Useing Mass transit..THERE ISNT MUCH CHOICE..
Take a car/bike to a MAJOR Downtown area,a nd find a parking spot or a SAFE place for your bike?? Or take mass transit WHICH ends up being LATE/ or 2 hour EARLY.
#8.
CORRECT..I cant even afford to travel 600 miles to check on my father..EVEN at $2.50 per gallon. And I wont say ANYHITNg about car insurance.
OK..
1. MOST airports havent been FIXED/MADE/ADDED TO for over 40 years. they ARENT up to the load of air traffic that is CURRENT..THEIR TECH is LAGGING and behind the times.
2. Can you guess who BUILT most of the airports?? YOU DID.
3. SIt a congressman/representitive in COACH and no more then 3 per FLIGHT.. Get one of them on a tarmac for more then 60 minutes and the FEATHERS will be flying..
4. MOSt airports were BUILT outside of CITIES, THEN the CITY GREW around them..NO EXPANSION..NO GROWTH..NO IMPROVEMENTS…
5. Airline profits DONT go to AIRPORTS, the AIRLINES didnt BUILD the airport..
#21 What are you going to say in 3 mos when Barry and Co control the White House and both houses of Congress. Who will you blame?
# 21 JimD said, “Dumbya Bush and Prick Cheney CONTINUE TO GIVE AMERICA THE FINGER !!!”
Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Democratic congress hasn’t done much to help us so far but I’m sure once your messiah is in office things will miraculously improve. Obama, Reid and Pelosi. There’s a team to be reckoned with.
And the Democrat in-fighting has just begun…
#22 – Evil
>>Remember this task force was put together by a
>>Democratic controlled Congress (who across the
>>board have a 9% approval rating).
Guess again, numnuts. The task force was selected by Mary Peters, U.S. Secretary of Transportation. She’s a Republican, and was appointed to office by Dumbya.
Next?
#27, Mustard,
Thanks, you beat me to it. The right wing nuts can’t bear the idea that their heroes have screwed the pooch on this so they blame the Democrats.
Effen losers.
#28 Not surprising you agree with yourself as Mister Mustard is your alter ego. Your not fooling anyone here.
Don’t be silly they only allow organizations to abuse the people they represent after they have been bought off.