Centerlines - April 2008 - (Page 13) GUEST COLUMN A Word for Stranded Passengers ON DEC. 29, 2006, my family and I were stranded for over nine hours on a diverted American Airlines flight at AustinBergstrom International Airport. We had no food or potable water, and the restrooms were out of order. Perhaps more important were the feelings of helplessness, despair and anger. We were one of over 120 flights and thousands of passengers that were diverted that night. Mothers were forced to make diapers for their babies out of men’s T-shirts, and some people were forced to relieve themselves where they sat. On one airplane, paramedics had to be called to rescue a diabetic paraplegic from severe distress. On another plane, fights broke out and police were called to restore order. Following that experience, I formed The Coalition for an Airline needs during long tarmac delays. We are also working to combat deceptive scheduling practices, a major contributor to tarmac delays. Passengers shouldn’t be boarded until there is a known departure time within 30 minutes. Scheduling more intelligently would result in far fewer delays. The chances of developing fatal blood clots double after remaining four hours in the same position, so intentionally leaving the gate when the airlines know they do not have a departure time and then sitting on the tarmac puts passengers at risk. But legislation targeted at airlines isn’t enough. While we support air traffic control modernization and other initiatives, without more terminals, gates and runways, airports will become the bottleneck of the future. It won’t matter if increasing numbers of airplanes reach their destinations on time if there isn’t a runway or a gate WITHOUT more terminals, gates and runways, airports will become the bottleneck of the future. Passengers’ Bill of Rights. We started with about 100 of the original victims. Today, we are over 22,000 members strong, and we have advisors and experts from every discipline of the aviation industry. Our main strategy since Dec. 29 has been to lobby the federal government for legislation to address these incidents and to search for constructive answers to these and other aviation-related problems. One thing history has conclusively shown is that the airlines have good long-term intentions but short memories. The coalition continues to lobby in Congress and the Department of Transportation for deplaning options and provisions for essential human available to deplane passengers. Airport concession contracts should require that some food vendors remain open when airplanes are waiting on airport tarmacs late at night, and mobile resources must be available to service those aircraft KATE HANNI and possibly deplane passengers. FOUNDER Gate leases must be made nonCOALITION FOR AN AIRLINE PASSENGERS’ exclusive so that diverted aircraft BILL OF RIGHTS can use a gate when arriving at an airport where that airline doesn’t own a gate. When passengers are left to spend the night in the airport, airports should have more Visit the website of the Coalition for an Airline Passengers’ options to offer them Bill of Rights at: www.flyersrights.com besides the open floor or baggage carousel. How about sleeping pods or portable tents? Moreover, let’s make sure these initiatives are not limited to the major hubs. When a major hub is closed due to weather, it’s the regional airports that bear the burden of handling unanticipated airplanes and passengers. The coalition believes that increasing passenger facility charges (PFCs) are necessary to upgrade capacity and services. On a per-ticket basis, it’s a small price to pay to ensure more efficient service and provide essential needs during irregular operations. Our coalition has also taken action to assist stranded passengers. We’ve created brochures to help travelers understand their rights when they’re bumped or lose baggage, and we have a toll-free hotline (1-877-3593776) to assist them when they’re the victims of long tarmac delays. We provide free information like weather, alternative flights, rental cars, and hotel availability. And, we’ll contact family or business associates for them, keeping everyone in the loop. Conversations among consumers, legislators, airlines and airports are long overdue. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to improve the passenger experience. WEBLINK www.aci-na.org | CENTERLINES 13 http://www.flyersrights.com http://www.aci-na.org
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.