Individual State Pushes National Issue

No one will argue sitting in an airplane stuck on the tarmac for hours isn't a good thing... but is it up to each state to pass laws regulating airlines, airspace and traffic delays?

New York apparently thought so with a law that took effect earlier this month. Now, the Washington State Senate is currently considering similar passenger rights legislation, along with at least six other states.

Such new legislation would require airlines to provide "a few basic services" if passengers were stuck on the tarmac at Washington state airports for more than three hours, reports the Everett (WA) Herald. Among the requirements are food, drinking water, fresh air, medical attention and lights.

There are also provisions for a $1,000 per passenger fine and 150% ticket refund in case of excessive delays and/or strandings.

Washington State Senator Ken Jacobsen (D-Seattle) is pursuing the legislation after his own experience of sitting in an airplane for four hours. "Right now airline passengers have no rights," said Jacobsen. "I suspect I'm not the only American who doesn't like the way they're generally treated by the airlines."

According the Bureau of Transportation statistics, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had only two flights delayed on the tarmac for more than three hours in the past two years. Lengthy delays are more common at the northeastern airports, with their greater number of airports and flights, along with system and weather congestion.

The airline industry plans to oppose every such bill proposed on a state level, arguing it is the federal government's business to regulate air travel.

"You cannot have a hodgepodge of regulation state by state, and expect a carrier to be able to comply on a state by state basis," said David A. Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association.

As ANN has continuously reported, Congress is tackling this thorny issue within the greater context of reauthorizing funding for the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees ALL US airspace, airports and airlines.

And therein lies the rub. While the states may attempt to throw a band-aid fix onto flight delays, it is the overall responsibility of the FAA and Congress to find and fund solutions to the ever-increasing demands on our air traffic system.

FMI: www.house.gov, www.senate.gov