"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.
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