Most of the versions of the almost-certain-to-be-passed Passenger Bill of Rights that I’ve seen don’t address the airports’ responsibility when there’s a lengthy delay. Makes you wonder if the nation’s airports are getting away with something.
They probably are.
In all of the recent passenger imprisonment incidents, the airports played a significant — if not central — role in keeping the planes trapped on the tarmac. I would not go as far as to say that airlines are being unfairly singled out, but I do think people aren’t getting the whole picture.
That’s a view shared by Brooks Hurd, a reader of this site and a frequent flier. “I believe that the airports have caused or exacerbated the problems with delays,” he wrote in an e-mail today.
I sent a note back: “But how do you fix that?”
His idea is to hold airports to a set of rules as well. Among them:
» Airports must have a policy about getting planes back to gates or to bring buses to parked planes which are the tarmac. (I would go a step further and say that there should be a nationwide standard, and planes should be summoned back to the gate if they are sitting on the runway for too long, whether the airline wants it or not.)
» Airports should have clear signage to direct drivers to their terminal, rental car return, and parking.
» Airports should have clear signage within the airport to direct passengers to check-in, baggage claim, inter-terminal transportation, and departure gates.
» Inter-terminal transportation should be readily available and clearly marked and in operation at least 90 minutes before the first departure and 60 minutes after the last arrival.
» Check in lines should not exceed 20 minutes for non-elite fliers.
» TSA screening lines should be less than 20 minutes. (This is not just the TSA’s problem, since the airport has to provide a location for the TSA to set up, says Hurd.)
How would you punish an airport that doesn’t comply?
Financial penalties wouldn’t work — they’d just be passed along to passengers as higher landing fees. Instead, Hurd suggests restricting future landing slots, which would directly affect the airport’s managers.
I like a lot of these ideas. It’s certainly something to ponder as we contemplate the most effective way of preventing another held-hostage-on-the-runway incident.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
As I posted on my blog I don’t see this as being much different to misplaced luggage.
http://theglobaltraveller.blogspot.com/2007/02/passenger-bill-of-rights.html
With misplaced luggage it could be one of a number of airlines, or airports, at fault. Yet the passenger only needs to deal with the last airline involved in the itinerary to get the bag delivered and any compensation due.
I think the same system could work for unreasonably long confinement onboard. Keep the system simple so that passenger only deals with the airline. If the airport is at fault let the airline deal with reimbursement (eg through the airline’s contracts with the airport).
Global Traveler,
My point in bringing this up is to change the situation for the better. My concern is not the monetary issue, but rather motivating airports to fix their problems. I do not think that monetary penalties or litigation will really fix airport related problems (and there are many more of these than are listed above).
Additional costs will simply be passed on to the users through increased landing fees, or increased rent for airport concessionaires. Ultimately, we would end up paying for any monetary penalties levied on airports. Therefore, I do not see how any sort of moentary penalties would actually fix airport problems such as the tiny space that LAX alots to the TSA at their International Terminal, or the failure of ATL or CVG to provide a method for arriving international travelers whose final destination is ATL or CVG to leave the airport without going through the domestic terminal (and thus through a fuill TSA screening on arrival before they can leave the airport) or the failure of the Port Authority to provide adequate inter-terminal busses at JFK (the lack of busses at JFK may have been a major factor in the Jet Blue fiasco).
Some airports are well managed and they are a joy to pass through. Others suffer from poor management and I dread going to, from or through them. When I wrote to Chris, my intent was to find a method of motivating airports to fix their problems.
My point is that rather than gripe and fix blame, let’s create a Passenger Bill of Rights which will fix the problems as well as compensate passengers.
I need to correct the ignorant jetblue person that left a comment about booking on another carrier. I had a ticket on Delta the day of the storm and because they were proactive UNLIKE jetblow, I was authorized a refund. I suggest next time before you go shooting your mouth off like you know the rules of other airlines get your facts staight. Your Jetblue sucks, and I will NEVER buy a ticket on them. Employees are young immature they have no clue on how to treat a customer.
It’s pathetic that airlines and airports have so little thought for passenger welfare that we have to petition Congress to jerk knots in their tails.
I have to disagree about your negative comments about Jet Blue. I own a real valet parking co serving Logan customers, by reservation only. I come in contact with many Jet Blue employees. They are the best. They always try to help out a customer with a problem and they are very polite. Especially the sky caps. When I fly to Fla I always go on Jet Blue. sincerely Billy Bell 4/26/08