National data shows that travelers onboard 278 aircraft suffered delays of 3 hours or more in June 2009, with 90 flights coming in or out of New York City. Approximately 200,000 travelers have been stranded on grounded airplanes for more than 3 hours since 2007.
The latest incident occurred this Friday, leaving more than100 passengers on Sun Country Flight 242 bound for Minneapolis stranded aboard the aircraft for over six hours at New York’s JFK airport tarmac while waiting for departure. A report released by Senator Schumer and Assemblyman Gianaris shows that 52 percent of all flights experiencing a 3-hour or longer delays occur on flight into and out of New York.
“While the FAA has in the past a hear no evil, see no evil approach to addressing the unbearable flight delays crippling New York City area airports, it’s been the passengers who feel the pain,” noted Senator Schumer. “But, until the FAA does something about those delays, the least we can do is ensure that passengers are treated respectfully while they wait on the tarmac. Some airlines have taken the initiative, but as delays are now a nationwide crisis, we need a nationwide solution,” he continued.
The proposed legislation would require airlines to provide the passengers with the option to deplane after 3 hours of waiting on the ground since the closure of the aircraft doors. This option would be repeated every 3 hours thereafter until departure. The plan also details exceptions to this allowance if the pilot believes that passenger safety would be compromised due to inclement weather or emergency situations, or if the pilot has information that the plane will depart within 30 minutes after the 3-hour deadline. The bill requires all airlines to submit their own proposals detailing passenger rights and medical response considerations to the Secretary of Transportation.
“Our leaders in Washington must now rise to the occasion and act to protect the flying public,” stated Assemblyman Gianaris, who authored the state-level Airline Passenger Bill of Rights that was passed in New York in 2007. “If states will not be allowed to protect airline consumers, the federal government must,” he added, referring to a court ruling denying the state’s right to implement such legislation.
