Reply #56: 'Bill of rights' for fliers questioned [View All]

[AnneD]

WASHINGTON — Aviation experts warn that proposals for a "bill of rights" for airline passengers could lead to unwieldy regulations and could actually create more inconvenience for travelers.
Pressure for legislation increased after hundreds of people were kept aboard nine grounded JetBlue (JBLU) planes for at least six hours Feb. 14 during an ice storm at New York's Kennedy International Airport. Passengers on one plane were stuck for nine hours and said they had no food, water or clean bathrooms.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, introduced a bill on Saturday that would require airlines to let passengers leave a plane once it was delayed for three hours after its scheduled departure. It would also guarantee "adequate food and potable water" on delayed flights.

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The Air Line Pilots Association, the largest pilots union, has not taken a stance on the legislation, but it says any law should not undercut a captain's authority to preserve safety. "You can't legislate good judgment," union Vice President Chris Beebe says.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/biztravel/2007-02-21-passengers_x.htm

:eyes: You may NOT be able to legislate good judgement-but you sure can redress a wrong. Three hour delay sounds more than reasonable to me.