To questions under “What DOT particularly wants to know from you”:
1. Yes, there should be uniform tarmac delay deadline to return to gate and allow passengers to exit the plane, and it should be 2 hours, not 3 hours. Many of us passengers become extremely uncomfortable stuck in an airplane cabin for such long periods, especially when we may then have a several hour or more flight to endure once plane is released for takeoff.
2. No, extending the plan to smaller carriers is not too burdensome, because the passenger comfort issue is equally bad (or worse) on smaller aircraft, or at any airport.
3. Making the tarmac contingency plan part of the contract of carriage would be much more good, than bad. Explicit written commitments are important, and are a competitive issue that passengers… more »
…may care about in choosing a carrier for repeated trips.
4. Yes, airports must have tarmac contingency plans, or too often passengers will be stuck in an aircraft because the airport will not provide a gate or other opportunity for passengers to deplane, when the time limit is exceeded.
5. Providing for a separate location in an international terminal is appropriate, to allow deplaning without passing through customs. It does not seem unduly burdensome, given the length of many international flights and the consequent greater need to provide for passenger comfort during long delays.
6. Yes, DOT should require that passengers be allowed to deplane for gate delays with door still open, or returns to gate for mechanical or emergency reasons. Asking passengers to remain in the immediate gate area to listen for boarding announcements, and expecting as passengers to be accountable to do so at the risk of missing our flight if we fail, is also reasonable. The costs and operational concerns should be minimal, with all of this kept in mind. « less
I agree with CLT_PASS, all the proposed customer service requirements (not options or “voluntary”) and the five bullet points under “additional standards DOT should be considering,” are appropriate. They should apply to foreign carriers anywhere DOT has enforcement jurisdiction. Baggage delay beyond 2 hours should certainly be long enough to be “not delivered on time”, with the proviso that a “late checkin” (30 min. before departure domestic, one hour international flight, perhaps) of the bag by the passenger would relieve the airline of that strict deadline. A “significant delay” under the third bullet point, allowing refund of any type of ticket, should be specified, and 3 hours seems reasonable for any flight regardless of duration.… more »
…Late bags ought to have any baggage fees refunded. The idea that at least one bag checked be included in all fares would improve safety in the cabin, given our current situation with large, heavy bags jammed into overhead bins or under seats to avoid fees. Customer service plans and standards should be part of the written contract of carriage, so passengers have written commitments to compare among different carriers when choosing with whom to fly. « less
To questions under “What DOT particularly wants to know from you”:
1. Yes, there should be uniform tarmac delay deadline to return to gate and allow passengers to exit the plane, and it should be 2 hours, not 3 hours. Many of us passengers become extremely uncomfortable stuck in an airplane cabin for such long periods, especially when we may then have a several hour or more flight to endure once plane is released for takeoff.
2. No, extending the plan to smaller carriers is not too burdensome, because the passenger comfort issue is equally bad (or worse) on smaller aircraft, or at any airport.
3. Making the tarmac contingency plan part of the contract of carriage would be much more good, than bad. Explicit written commitments are important, and are a competitive issue that passengers… more »
4. Yes, airports must have tarmac contingency plans, or too often passengers will be stuck in an aircraft because the airport will not provide a gate or other opportunity for passengers to deplane, when the time limit is exceeded.
5. Providing for a separate location in an international terminal is appropriate, to allow deplaning without passing through customs. It does not seem unduly burdensome, given the length of many international flights and the consequent greater need to provide for passenger comfort during long delays.
6. Yes, DOT should require that passengers be allowed to deplane for gate delays with door still open, or returns to gate for mechanical or emergency reasons. Asking passengers to remain in the immediate gate area to listen for boarding announcements, and expecting as passengers to be accountable to do so at the risk of missing our flight if we fail, is also reasonable. The costs and operational concerns should be minimal, with all of this kept in mind. « less
I agree with CLT_PASS, all the proposed customer service requirements (not options or “voluntary”) and the five bullet points under “additional standards DOT should be considering,” are appropriate. They should apply to foreign carriers anywhere DOT has enforcement jurisdiction. Baggage delay beyond 2 hours should certainly be long enough to be “not delivered on time”, with the proviso that a “late checkin” (30 min. before departure domestic, one hour international flight, perhaps) of the bag by the passenger would relieve the airline of that strict deadline. A “significant delay” under the third bullet point, allowing refund of any type of ticket, should be specified, and 3 hours seems reasonable for any flight regardless of duration.… more »