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.)

FMI: www.flyersrights.org, Read The Report Card