Passenger Rights Breakthrough: No More Tarmac Strandings

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  12.21.09 | 2:30 PM ET

The federal government moved to beef up air passenger rights today, introducing substantial fines for airlines that leave travelers stuck on the tarmac for hours. The new rules mandate $27,500 fines for any instance where passengers are left stranded for more than two hours without food, or prevented from de-planing for more than three hours. It’s a big step, and hopefully it means the end of long-term strandings like this one.


Eva Holland is co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.


2 Comments for Passenger Rights Breakthrough: No More Tarmac Strandings

bob wilson 12.23.09 | 3:19 PM ET

THIS MAY BE A GOOD START,  BUT WHY SHOULD PASSANGERS HAVE TO WAIT ANY MORE
THAN AN HOUR BEFORE THEY ARE BROUGHT BACK TO THE TERMINAL…. CONTROLLERS
KNOW IF THE PLANE CAN TAKE OFF BEFORE IT ALLOWS IT TO TAXI OUT.  AND IF IT
IS FOR OTHER REASONS,  THEN THE AIRLINES OR GROUND CONTROL SHOULD BE
REQUIRED TO HAVE GATED PLANES PULLED AWAY FROM THE TERMINAL SO LOADED
PLANES CAN DE-PLANE.  I SEE NO REASON IN THIS COMPUTER CONTROLLED WORLD
THAT PLANES SHOULD SET ON THE GROUND FOR OVER AN HOUR WAITING TO TAKE
OFF OR DEPLANE.  PROBLEMS AT THE TERMINAL COULD BE THE ONLY EXCEPTION.,

Tommy 12.30.09 | 5:31 PM ET

Ummm… and where will those passengers go?  Rememeber how few seats there were in the terminal before you borded the plane?  Guess what, there will be even fewer when you get off.

Yes, being stranded on a plane is purgatory, but I don’t see how severe terminal congestion is going to help.

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