Now is not the time to debate a Passengers’ Bill of Rights

by David Burns on October 1, 2008

Is the timing right for Congress to debate a “Bill of Rights” for airline passengers? It doesn’t seem like it to me.

In this corner, we have lawmakers struggling to solve what may turn out to be the biggest financial crisis our nation has faced since the Great Depression. Whether you approve of it or not, failure by the House to pass the $700 billion bailout plan caused the stock market to post its biggest single-day point drop in history.

From this corner, workers across the country are facing layoffs almost daily. Try reading a newspaper without finding a story about an employer closing a factory, downsizing or going out of business.

Over in that corner, we have a nation at war. Make that two wars, Iraq and the one that seems practically forgotten over in Afghanistan.

Yet another corner of the boxing ring is occupied with nefarious undercurrents from the likes of Iran, Venezuela, Russia, North Korea, Cuba and so forth.

Some additional yet equally important fighters in the ring for Congress to consider —

• Relief for victims of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike
• Education (Georgia’s Clayton County school system lost its academic accreditation this year – the first time that’s happened in this country in 40 years)
• The environment
• Alternative energy solutions
• The gasoline shortage in the Southeast

Lastly, Congress has had to address the FAA Reauthorization Bill, which in essence, allows the Federal Aviation Administration to “stay in business.” So far they have punted the problem to next March. Since this is a travel-related Web site, imagine the chaos, dysfunctional as the agency may be, if suddenly FAA closed its doors? Air traffic would grind to a halt. Development of NextGen ATC systems would stop. Safety programs would cease. The list goes on and on.

By my count, our imaginary boxing ring is a decagon. It’s not a boxing match; it’s a brawl. I think the Grateful Dead said it best in their song Hell in a Bucket: “I may be going to hell in a bucket, babe, but at least I’m enjoying the ride, at least I’ll enjoy the ride.”

The Coalition for Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights (CAPBOR) is hopping mad about this Reauthorization Bill. In a recent press release, CAPBOR president Katie Hanni was quoted as saying, “I urge Chairman Oberstar (D-Minn.) not to give the airlines’ lobbyists and campaign donations a seat in First Class at the expense of passengers who are stuck back in coach – for eight or nine hours at a time.”

A recent Kiplinger article notes that, especially in an election year, it seems unlikely that Congress will fail to pass an Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights. Should this be their top priority, given all that’s going on? Should it be a priority at all? I’ve written my feelings on this subject before.

Airline customer service is important to those who travel. I’ll give you that. But it’s not an inalienable right to have an aircraft driven back to a terminal building during hazardous weather conditions outside the airline’s control, or to get restocked with snacks and drinks if what’s been catered onboard runs out during a delay.

The Boy Scouts of America teaches young men to “Be Prepared.” I know I’m preaching, but what happened to personal responsibility? Buy a pack of nabs and a Coke in the airport in case you get hungry. Go to the bathroom before getting onboard — the time from boarding until the aircraft is above 10,000 feet is unpredictable at best. If the agent hasn’t announced the status of a delayed flight, (gasp) get up and ask him what is going on!

It’s unrealistic to legislate a degree of mollycoddling that will prevent every inconvenience inherent to air travel. It’s impossible for the government to declare utopia and for a system of travel fraught with unpredictability (weather, maintenance, etc.) to please all of the people all of the time.

I’ve spent my career focused on making airline customers happy. I see the need to improve service. This isn’t something that can be solved with legislation, and right now, the members of Congress have much bigger fish to fry.

I’ll be voting for whichever candidate ignores this issue completely until we return to our normal level of chaos. I’d love to hear your thoughts; please share them in the comments section below.

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Tagged as: Coalition for Airline Passengers Bill of Rights, passengers bill of rights

  • Frank

    Airline customer service is important to those who travel. I’ll give you that. But it’s not an inalienable right to have an aircraft driven back to a terminal building during hazardous weather conditions outside the airline’s control, or to get restocked with snacks and drinks if what’s been catered onboard runs out during a delay. The Boy Scouts of America teaches young men to “Be Prepared.” I know I’m preaching, but what happened to personal responsibility?
    ============================================================

    Grin, every once in awhile, you guys NAIL IT. Mr Burns, gets it.

    A Bill of Rights? That’s essentially a BIG BAND-AID for most of the underlying issues the Government should be responsible for fixing IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!

  • Anonymous

    @Frank: As an Eagle Scout, that’s fine. Be prepeared. That shouldn’t have to be the case for senior citizens, or young children, however, especially after sometimes multiple hour delays on the tarmac due to poor performance by the airline in question. The scenarios you described are not what the passanger bill of rights is meant to address. You have a point about being prepared, but people shouldn’t have to get ready for taking off in a plane to the same level as a multiple mile hiking trip in the high mountains. Thanks for sharing. This has to do with responsibility all right, on the part of the AIRLINES.

  • Anonymous

    I agree however, that now is not the time, but then, with Congress, it seems it’s never a good time.

  • Bill

    The very first time that passengers were out on the tarmac for 11 hours in Detroit should have been when this was addressed. That should have been the first and last time for such an occurrance.

    When you don’t deal with things in a timely manner, then things begin to pile up and then we get articles like this one.

    Having laws against locking people up in planes for 10 hours is a no brainer. Of course, they could’t come up with laws agains sp^m when it first became an issue either, and look what happened to that.

    I could say the same for getting rid of Bin Laden years ago when they should have.

    Politicians need to learn not to drag their butts on things.

  • Lyngengr

    Either David Burns is being paid by the airlines or he doesn’t get out much.

    All of the problems you cite as being important for our Congress to act on require a long, complicated solution. Enacting legislation that prevents airlines from holding passengers on the ground, against their will, treating them worse than a third world prison will take a couple of days at the most. There are several travel writers who have composed very well thought out sets of rules. Why don’t you do some research and see what is out there. And I don’t really care who you vote for.

  • Frank

    On October 1st, 2008 at 1:42 pm Anonymous said @Frank: As an Eagle Scout, that’s fine. Be prepeared. That shouldn’t have to be the case for senior citizens, or young children, however, especially after sometimes multiple hour delays on the tarmac due to poor performance by the airline in question. The scenarios you described are not what the passanger bill of rights is meant to address.
    ===========================================================

    With thirty years under my belt as an airline employee, I have spent multiple times, more then I can remember sitting on the tarmac enduring hours of delays. My longest: 5 hours.
    Snow, fog, thunderstorms, you name it. I’ve even had the runway lights malfunction, we had to wait for daylight for departure.
    Please, explain that “poor performance” by the airline to try and get you to your destination and please explain the alternatives? Getting OUT OF LINE and going back to the terminal places you back at square one. The airline is also under great pressure to get that aircraft downline to operate OTHER flights. Why not sit at the gates, sometimes that’s an option. Sometimes, the gates are needed for OTHER FLIGHTS. Just cancel the flight? With load factors near capacity on many flights, explain how one can rebook 200 passengers to the same destination on the same day?
    Flying on a clear day can be erratic. Try flying into or out of LGA, JFK, EWR, PHL, DCA on a flight during rush hour. Several of these airports are slot controlled too!
    New York state has a passenger bill of rights. Expect an old granola bar that’s been sitting in the closet for awhile, water and usable lavatories. Happy now?
    It seems that the media jumps all over the delays where BLIZZARDS, HUGE SNOW STORMS were to blame. ie. Northwest in DTW. Jetblue in JFK. Did anyone have a crystal ball that day knowing the delays would result in HOURS on the runway? What I do agree with here is that a TIME LIMIT needs to be established. But, be prepared to NOT get to your destination, if at all. You’re FLIGHT CANCELLED. You no longer hold a seat on a flight, it’s all subject to availability. Happy now?

  • Alan Fiermonte

    Remember, hiking is a voluntary, assumed-risk activity for which to be prepared. Any scout who wants to quit can simply turn back or bail out. Last I checked,. passengers PAY for transport and a basic level of humane, dignified and moderately comfortable service. Once they’re in the tin can, a door is sealed and they should get what they paid for within business-reason. The airlines should http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shit_or_get_off_the_pot I think 3 hrs is a super-reasonable time frame to deliver on the goods by rolling tires with people stuck IMMOVABLE in a tin can. Otherwise, passengers should have the inalienable right to yell “uncle” and order a beer and sandwich (or tea and cookies), especially seniors, families with children, other special needs folks. Last time I checked, airlines did not sell tickets ONLY to healthy, fit, patient, eager, former boyscout, always-prepared business travelers. They wanted the greenbacks from all manner of lame, inpatient, un-travelers.
    Cheers, The Travel Agent Dude

  • Debbie

    The airlines should self-regulate. It should not be up to the government to dictate what is and is not appropriate behavior in the event of lengthy tarmac delays. Perhaps if the airlines created a more customer-friendly cabin environment, gave good customer service overall, and enabled their employees instead of holding them to a bunch of bogus by-the-book policies, a Customer Bill Of Rights would not even be necessary. David Burns is spot on in his assessment. The country has much bigger problems to deal with.

  • Anonymous

    @Frank: You’re a piece of work alright huh? Alan makes the point for me, you cannot of course, always avoid these delays. Did you hear me argue that ?
    Passengers stuck in this unavoidable situation, however, shouldn’t have to suffer. That was the point I was making. You simply come across as mean-spirited, and ill-informed at best. Apparently all the time working in the industry didn’t teach you any tact, or manners. Get real. You failed to address any of the practical, and REAL concerns addressed in my post, and are simply blindly defending undefendable practices.

  • Frank

    On October 2nd, 2008 at 2:41 pm Anonymous said @Frank: You’re a piece of work alright huh? Alan makes the point for me, you cannot of course, always avoid these delays. Did you hear me argue that
    ====================================================

    First of all, stop making things, PERSONAL. (piece of work?)……..i NEVER attacked YOU, it was your comments that I wanted to DISCUSS, get it?
    After 12 THOUSAND FLIGHTS, I have an OPINION. OK?

  • Frank

    On October 2nd, 2008 at 2:41 pm Anonymous said: You failed to address any of the practical, and REAL concerns addressed in my post, and are simply blindly defending undefendable practices.
    ==============================================

    Ok, I reread your post above………and really dont see any REAL concerns addressed. Just a blanket statement, as usual, that it’s all the airlines fault.

    wrong!

  • Anonymous

    Tne real concerns are: Enough food and water for passangers after a certain amount of time, 6 hour plus tarmac stays, and being able to leave an aircraft after 3 hours. These are basic requirements. The vast majority of people aren’t looking for a handout, just being treated humanely. Apparently, I’m talking to a brick wall, and you made it personal through your disdain, and lack of basic empathy for the young, and the elderly. Of course, the problems are also the responsiblity of others, but that doesn’t mean the airlines can’t do their part, and cover basics, for paying cutstomers. You made is personal by presenting your intial post, not in a factual argument, but in a distinctly foul and uncaring tone.

  • Frank

    On October 8th, 2008 at 2:43 pm Anonymous said You made it personal by presenting your intial post, not in a factual argument, but in a distinctly foul and uncaring tone.
    ==============================================

    This is just crap, I have NOTHING more to say………………to YOU.

    ::::smile::::

  • Anonymous

    Good. Keeping your mouth shut might actually help.
    Smile away….

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