Airline bill takes flight again: Spurred by local, Thompson pushes passenger bill of rights

Napa Valley Register

Democratic control of both houses of Congress is bringing a local advocate new hope for an airline passenger bill of rights.

Napa resident Kate Hanni has been a champion of such a bill for two years, and is getting strong support from Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena.
Thompson has re-introduced legislation to require that airlines provide passengers with access to basic necessities and would prevent airlines from holding passengers indefinitely on planes when they are delayed.

“We need to ensure that when passengers set foot on a plane, they will be treated fairly and humanely,” Thompson said in a prepared statement. “This bill will also help airlines develop standards so that they can have a plan in place to deal with extended tarmac delays. Obviously preventing extended delays by improving airport infrastructure and upgrading the air traffic control system needs to happen. But no matter what, we need to make sure that passengers will not be held in uncomfortable and unsafe conditions.”
Thompson's bill would ensure that passengers have access to food, water, comfortable cabin temperature and ventilation, and adequate restrooms. Passengers would have the option to deplane after sitting on the ground for three hours, and that option would be available again every three hours that the plane is delayed.

The bill would also provide for the creation of a consumer complaint hotline run by the Department of Transportation. Under Thompson's bill, the Department of Transportation would be required to review and approve airlines' contingency plans, and would be authorized to fine air carriers and airports for not submitting or complying with those plans.
Thompson's bill is the companion to legislation introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine.

Thompson submitted similar legislation last Congress. It was included in the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization passed by the House of Representatives, but was blocked on the Senate floor.

This year, with a Democratic majority in Congress, Thompson is trying his hand at the bill once again.

He testified on Wednesday to the importance of including the passenger rights provisions in the Federal Aviation Association Reauthorization Legislation for 2009.

Noting that Congress first examined the problem of extended tarmac delays 10 years ago, Thompson testified, “Since 1999 and despite countless industry promises, little or no progress has been made toward ensuring that airline passengers have some basic rights during excessive ground delays.”

“It is time for Congress to act to protect the flying public,” he said.

Thompson encouraged the subcommittee to adopt the provisions included in his bill, which are more stringent than those being considered. He also asked the subcommittee Wednesday to take his passenger rights provisions as a standalone bill to the House floor for consideration.

Napan at the helm

Kate Hanni of Napa, who teamed up with Thompson on his proposed legislation last Congress, also testified before the subcommittee Wednesday. Hanni has been a strong advocate for airline passenger rights since her Dec. 29, 2006, flight from San Francisco to Dallas went awry. Hanni's plane was redirected to Austin, Texas, where passengers were forced to sit on the plane in discomfort for nine hours.

Hanni is now executive director of Flyersrights.org, which she said has 25,000 members.

“The bottom line here … is that unless Congress mandates in your FAA Reauthorization legislation minimum standards for adequate food, water, working toilets and a passenger option to deplane after three-plus hours of tarmac delay, if it can be done safely, tomorrow's passengers will continue to be exposed to airline negligence during tarmac strandings as they are today,” Hanni testified.

Hanni said in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C., that “Mike's is the strongest airline passengers bill that's been introduced yet.”

“He's taking very seriously the idea of restoring well-being and dignity to the state of air travel,” she said.

Hanni said she is confident that the bill has a shot this year given the new leadership in D.C.

“I am very confident this time around that we will get an airline bill of rights, and with Mike's help, I believe that we will get a strong, strong bill,” she said.

Hanni and members of Flyersrights.org will return to Washington in two weeks to lobby for Thompson's legislation, she said, and will put particular pressure on the House's Ways and Means Committee, of which Thompson is a member.