Rep. Mike Thompson Introduces Air Passenger Bill of Rights Act of 2011

Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1) today issued the following statement after introducing the Air Passenger Bill of Rights Act of 2011. The bill would require air carriers to provide adequate food, water, temperature controls, ventilation, and working toilets during excessive delays, and offer passengers the option to deplane after three or more hours on the ground.

“Air carriers have a responsibility to provide basic services and accommodations to their passengers. 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. 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.

“Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of the infamous Valentine's Day ice storm, which stranded 9 Jet Blue airplanes full of passengers on the tarmacs at JFK Airport. Some planes held passengers between 5 to 11.5 hours. By working together with a long list of consumer protection groups and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, I hope we can put an end to these kinds of horror stories once and for all.”