Airlines Pushing Back Against Passengers' Rights Law
New rules are going into effect which will fine airlines which keep passengers trapped on the tarmac for more than three hours. The bill of rights for passengers is long overdue, but the airlines are now threatening
to cancel flights at even a hint of bad weather in order to avoid the fines. The Wall Street Journal reports:
Carriers say that to avoid those fines, they will aggressively cancel flights before and during storms--even if the bad weather never materializes. The threats could foreshadow significant changes in air travel, making it even less reliable for millions of road warriors and vacationers. By canceling flights, it could take days for all travelers to get home when storms strike.
Of course, the warnings from carriers could simply be posturing to pressure the government into leniency. Passenger-rights advocates say airlines are trying to scare fliers. And the Department of Transportation says carriers have a lot of other options to avoid fines.
Still, on Tuesday, Continental Airlines Inc. Chief Executive Jeff Smisek threw down the gauntlet, calling DOT's rule "stupid." Even though many passengers will risk long delays to get where they are going, "the government by God says, 'We're going to fine you $27,500,'" he said at an investor conference in New York. "Here's what we're going to do: We're going to cancel the flight."
The Department of Transportation and consumer rights groups are not not impressed with the airlines' threats, saying that there are many options available to airlines instead of canceling flights willy nilly. They can have more crews ready to take over for crews who exceed flight hour limits and they can book passengers on competing airlines if a flight must be delayed or canceled.
Airline passengers have essentially had no rights at all since the industry was deregulated in the 1970s. Passengers deserve to be treated decently and the airlines will have to adapt to the new rules.
