Wait goes on for US travellers

As the airline industry in the United States remains opposed to a congressionally imposed three-hour time limit – pending in the Senate – on how long passengers must remain on the tarmac before departure, an influential industry pioneer has backed such a deadline. Meanwhile, veteran airport executives have emerged with commonsense solutions that could nip the issue in the bud.

The problem has dogged US airports and airlines for several years, mainly due to adverse weather conditions. For example, in 1999 a snowstorm in Detroit stranded passengers on board Northwest Airlines aircraft for nine hours; customers on JetBlue aircraft were marooned for 10 hours on 14 February 2007 at New York JFK because of an ice storm; and in August this year, 51 passengers (including two infants) were left stranded overnight in an ERJ-145 on the tarmac at Rochester, Minnesota.

Against this background, a forum sponsored by FlyersRights.org and the Business Travel Coalition was held on 22 September in Washington, DC, to debate the need for Airline Passenger Bill of Rights legislation.

Robert Crandall, the former head of American Airlines, broke rank with airline industry executives, speaking out in favor of letting passengers deplane after a three-hour ground hold. The only exceptions, he argued, would be if the pilot deems it unsafe to leave the aircraft, or that the aircraft is given clearance to take off in 30 minutes.

"The airline industry should have led the way in responding to this problem rather than having resisted it," Crandall said. "Every responsible airline executive I know thinks these things are an outrage."

Crandell admitted that the proposals had disadvantages. Returning passengers to airport waiting areas could result in flight cancellations and modest fare increases. With flights operating at near capacity, passengers who get off may have trouble rebooking.

Crandell also recommended an initial four-hour time limit to give airlines time to make adjustments before imposing a three-hour limit in 2011.