"Flying Public Deserves To Know What Truly Happened"

The Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights and The Gibson Law Firm have filed federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests regarding two recent crashes involving aircraft operated under the Continental Airlines banner.

The requests -- which were submitted to the US Department of Transportation (DOT), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) -- cover various safety and training records related to Continental Flight 1404, which ran off the runway December 20, 2008 in Denver, and Continental Connection Flight 3704 (operated by Colgan Air), which crashed in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence Center on February 12.

Kate Hanni, Executive Director of the Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights, stated, "Our organization is committed to improving the health, safety, dignity and well-being of airline passengers. With these FOIA requests, we hope to ensure that passenger rights advocates will have a place in airline safety discussions going forward. The flying public deserves to know what truly happened with these Continental flights."

Founded in 2006, the 25,000-member Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights was formed in response to delays that stranded thousands of passengers on airport tarmacs throughout the nation despite medical emergencies and other health and safety issues. An advocate of the inclusion of passengers' rights provisions in federal legislation and in DOT regulations, the organization annually issues a "Real Air Travel Consumer Report Card." The report includes analysis of tarmac and schedule delays and the safety of airline food and water.

Attorney Jason A. Gibson, of The Gibson Law Firm, stated, "There have been two serious incidents involving Continental planes within 60 days. I believe a combination of passenger rights advocacy, civil litigation and government investigation will ultimately determine what happened to the respective flights, in addition to improving airline safety."

The Gibson Law Firm represents eight passengers in litigation recently filed in a Houston state district court related to the runway excursion accident involving Continental Flight 1404 at Denver International Airport. As ANN reported, the flight bound for George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston crashed moments after an aborted takeoff. No one was lost in the crash and subsequent post-impact fire, though 38 passengers were hospitalized.

The lawsuit alleges Houston-based Continental negligently failed to "exercise the highest degree of care in operating the aircraft" and "maintaining control of the aircraft" and seeks medical expenses and monitoring, loss of earnings, loss of personal property, and other damages. The case is "Melissa Craft, et al., v. Continental Airlines, Inc., et al.," in the District Court of Harris County, Texas, 129th Judicial District, Cause No. 2009-01917.

FMI: www.flyersrights.org, www.jag-lawfirm.com