Washington: Heralded as a passenger-
friendly move, airlines in the US can not hold passengers
inside a plane on a tarmac for more than three hours,
according to a new federal law.
However, the new rule is valid only for domestic
flights and the international flights do not come under its
purview.
The new rules go into effect in about three months.
"Airline passengers have rights, and these new rules
will require airlines to live up to their obligation to treat
their customers fairly," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood
said in a statement.
The new rule, announced Monday, prohibits US airlines
operating domestic flights from permitting an aircraft to
remain on the tarmac for more than three hours without
deplaning passengers.
The exceptions allowed only for safety or security or
if air traffic control advises the pilot in command that
returning to the terminal would disrupt airport operations.
US carriers operating international flights departing
from or arriving in the country must specify, in advance,
their own time limits for deplaning passengers, with the same
exceptions applicable, Department of Transportation (DOT)
said.
Carriers are required to provide adequate food and
drinking water for passengers within two hours of the aircraft
being delayed on the tarmac and to maintain operable
lavatories and, if necessary, provide medical attention.
This rule was adopted in response to a series of
incidents in which passengers were stranded on the ground
aboard aircraft for long periods and also in response to the
high incidence of flight delays and other consumer problems.
In one of the most recent tarmac delay incidents, the
Department fined Continental Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines and
Mesaba Airlines a total of USD175,000 for their roles in a
nearly six-hour ground delay at Rochester, Minnesota.
The new rules also prohibits airlines from scheduling
chronically delayed flights, subjecting those who do to DOT
enforcement action for unfair and deceptive practices and
requires airlines to designate an airline employee to monitor
the effects of flight delays and cancellations, respond in a
timely and substantive fashion to consumer complaints and
provide information to consumers on where to file complaints.
PTI
