Passenger bill fight gets dirty

Readers of this blog who were hoping for a day off from the Passenger Bill of Rights debate — sorry to disappoint you. This is just getting more and more interesting. I can’t not write about it.

The latest: Big Air has denounced the proposed bill, saying it could cause more harm than good.

“A rigid, national regulation would be counterproductive, and could easily result in greater passenger inconvenience,” Air Transport Association president and chief executive James C. May said in a prepared statement.

Hmmm. Let’s ponder that for a minute or two.

You mean, greater inconvenience than being trapped on a plane for 10 hours? Or did you really mean to say greater inconvenience for your constituents?

The Coalition for an Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights responded swiftly, calling its reaction to the imprisonment crisis “a sad excuse.”

Public sentiment is clearly on the Coalition’s side at the moment.

Any sympathy that the airlines had after 9/11 has been frittered away through substandard customer service, in bankruptcy court, or more often, both.

What’s needed now more than anything is a meeting of the minds. The airlines need to get together with Coalition representatives and find some common ground. I still think that if airlines agreed to amend their contracts of carriage to include new consumer protections, then legislation could be avoided.

But the airlines won’t win the war of words.

They can’t. No one will let them.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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