The federal government should require U.S. airlines to let stranded passengers deplane after flight delays of "extended periods," Transportation Department Inspector General Calvin Scovel III said in a new report.
"All airlines need to specify in detail the efforts that will be made to get passengers off the aircraft when delayed for extended periods, either before departure or after arrival," Scovel said.
The Air Transport Association, the Washington trade group for major carriers, has resisted legislation that would do what Scovel is recommending. The legislation was introduced after passengers were stranded on runways last year on flights operated by American Airlines and JetBlue Airways
(BTN, March 5). ATA warned that government interference would actually increase delays. ATA president and chief executive officer James May told the same panel, "imposing an arbitrary time frame to deplane passengers will have numerous unintended consequences that are likely to increase cancellations and cause even greater delays for passengers.
Scovel found that about 54,000 U.S. flights carrying 3.7 million passengers were stuck on runways for between one and five hours so far in 2007, a 42 percent increase over 2006. Crowded planes make it difficult to shift passengers in bad weather.
"Not only are there more delays, but also longer delay durations," Scovel told the House Transportation Committee the day after his report was released. "These rising flight delays are leading to more onboard tarmac delays."
Scovel said the government should force airlines to set targets for reducing chronic delays and inform customers when they book if a flight is late more than 40 percent of the time. Airlines should also be forced to develop plans to stock enough food and water onboard if passengers cannot be deplaned.