Sen. Barbara Boxer: Airline Passenger Bill of Rights Is Coming

September 22, 2009

LINK TO FULL ARTICLE

by Scott McCartney
Wall Street Journal Blog

Airline meltdowns–such as a regional jet stranded overnight with 47 people on board last month–have made passengers’ rights legislation popular in Congress and likely to pass, even over airline industry objections, Sen. Barbara Boxer said Tuesday.

“Every day they (airlines) prove to us how much we need this legislation,” said Sen. Boxer (D-Calif.), a co-sponsor of a passengers’ rights bill that includes forcing airlines to allow passengers off planes after three hours of sitting, if passengers want.

Sen. Boxer’s bill would require airlines to provide food, water and bathrooms to passengers stranded on flights either unable to take off or unable to access a gate for disembarking. It lets pilots decide whether it’s safe to give passengers the opportunity to get off a plane every three hours, and waives the requirement if a captain reasonably expects to take off within 30 minutes after the three-hour threshhold is reached. The legislation is now included in the reauthorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration, enhancing its chances of passage. But the House version of the legislation doesn’t include a three-hour cap, and a conference committee will have to decide on forcing airlines to allow passengers to deplane if they choose.

Read the entire article at the Wall Street Journal blog.