The Passenger Bill of Rights is up for a vote in a Senate Committee today after a 2-year battle by consumer advocates. And the airline industry's lobbyists are spoiling for a fight.
The Bill would allow trapped passengers off planes that have been sitting on the tarmac for more than 3 hours. Also, airlines would be required to provide passengers with food, potable water, comfortable cabin temperature and ventilation and adequate restrooms while a plane is delayed on the ground. Plus, the DOT would have to create a consumer complaint hotline so that passengers can alert the agency about delays.
Who's voting on it? The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee. I know, I'd never heard of it until now -- but to me this is a no-brainer "yay" vote. Unless the airline industry is so rich that they've got these lawmakers in-the-bag... how could you not approve our right to basic human decency when airline schedules go awry?
The airlines' basic argument against this is that control over delays and gate assignments would be lost -- and cancellations would increase. OK, we get that. Understood. But seriously, I'd rather be cancelled, and come back the next day than sit in that cabin for more than three hours. What do you think? Is this Bill of Rights a long time coming? Or is it too much regulation?
