Three Airlines Receive Failing Grades; New Hotline
Announced
Advocates for an airline passenger
bill of rights announced Wednesday that American, United and US
Airways had all failed the group’s first Strandings Report
Card, based on the total number of flights subject to excessive
delays and strandings and other factors -- including the lack of
food, and "putridness" factor on the delayed planes -- in their
first report card ranking airline treatment of stranded
passengers.
"Passengers have no rights once they enter an aircraft,
incredibly, prisoners of war have more rights than passengers on a
commercial airliner," said Kate Hanni, a stranded American Airlines
passenger and founder of the Coalition for An Airline Passenger
Bill of Rights (CAPBOR). "Our report card gives three major
airlines an F for their treatment of passengers, and that’s
why we're urging Congress to enact a real Airline Passengers' Bill
of Rights."
The group also announced a new toll-free hotline (1-877-FLYERS6
or 1-877-359-3776) for passenger complaints. (Given the rash of
strandings we've seen already this year... you may want that number
on speed dial -- Ed.)
As ANN reported last month,
the Senate Commerce Committee recently approved a Federal Aviation
Administration reauthorization bill, S. 1300, that included
passenger rights language sponsored by Senators Barbara Boxer
(D-CA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME).
Action now shifts to the House Transportation Committee where an
FAA reauthorization could be considered as early as next week,
noted Hanni. The group supports passenger rights legislation, HR
1303, introduced by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA).
Key elements of the coalition's passenger bill of rights
platform include the following: a procedure for deplaning people
stranded on the tarmac for 3 hours or more; providing essential
needs for passengers during any onboard delay, truthful reporting
of flight delays and cancellations and that bags be returned within
24 hours.
"The government wouldn't let a cruise ship go to sea without
lifeboats," fellow stranded passenger Cathy Ray pointed out.
"Flight attendants have a union, pilots have a union, but
passengers have no union to represent them. The coalition is our
union and we intend to force the government to stop the
madness."
For a combination of their total of number of extended delays,
cancellations, and diversions, along with their failure to treat
passengers humanely -- subjecting them to putrid conditions, no
potable water and little food, the report card gave three airlines
(American, United, and US Airways) a failing grade.
The group also announced several awards for worst practices,
including the following --
-
Its "When You're On The Ground They
Treat You Like Dirt" Award to American Airlines, for providing no
food, having the most known strandings, most known crisis
mismanagement, high "Time-on-the-Tarmac" statistics and the most
negative report card score – 4.7.
- Its "Flying Fickle Finger of Fate Award" to United, after a
crew reportedly left passengers sitting in Syndey, Australia on a
plane,
- Its "Take The Money And Run Awards," to United Express --
operated by SkyWest -- for abandoning diverted passengers in
Cheyenne, WY and to both United Express and American Connection --
both operated by Trans States Airlines -- for similarly abandoning
diverted passengers in Scottsbluff, NE.
"The performance of the airlines coupled with illusory or false
promises and customer service plans shows why passenger rights
legislation is essential" said Paul Hudson, longtime executive
director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project. "The fact that
there is a wide divergence in airline performance regarding
strandings also proves that mandating higher quality service will
not raise ticket prices or put airlines out of business."
The Coalition also named three airlines that earned either A or
B grades: Hawaiian Airlines ("They just don’t seem to strand
people!"), Aloha Airlines (whose pilot allowed passengers to return
to the terminal and wait during a recent stranding) and Southwest
Airlines (whose pilot offered to let passengers off after a
three-hour stranding, got them all to their destination, and also
gave each passenger a free round-trip ticket upon their
return.)