Woodland Daily Democrat - Bill of rights introduced for airline passengers
Among the items listed in the bill are a "three-hour" provision that would require airlines to offer passengers the option to exit the plane if it has been stalled on the tarmac for longer than three hours.
The bill comes roughly four years after the major ice storms on Feb. 14, 2007 stranded hundreds of passengers on tarmacs without access to food, water, medical provisions and kept some in close proximity to overflowing toilets.
"Air carriers have a responsibility to provide basic services and accommodations to their passengers," Tompson said in a prepared statement. "Yet we continue to hear stories from Americans who have been stranded on planes without adequate food, water, ventilation, or working toilets. Despite reassurances from the airlines, these kinds of horror stories aren't going away. In fact, nearly 3,500 flights sat on tarmacs for at least two hours before takeoff in 2010 alone.
"Many airlines have shown that they can't or won't put the needs of their passengers first," Thompson stated. "That's why I'm introducing the Air Passenger Bill of Rights of 2011, which would take concrete action to protect fliers from the airline industry's worst abuses. In addition to offering passengers the option to deplane in the event of excessive delays, my bill would provide fliers with basic necessities, including access to food and water, comfortable cabin temperatures, and adequate restroom facilities. Unbelievably, these commonsense accommodations are outside the scope of the Department of Transportation's current passenger protection guidelines."