Boxer Release

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Steffy, Loren From:

Boxer, Press Office (Boxer) [[email protected]]

Sent:

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 12:11 PM

To:

Undisclosed recipients

Subject: Boxer, Snowe Continue Call for Passenger Bill of Rights

For Immediate Release November 24, 2009 Contact: Zachary Coile or David Frey (Boxer) (202) 224-8120 Julia Wanzco (Snowe) (202) 224-1304

Boxer, Snowe Continue Call for Passenger Bill of Rights Department of Transportation Fines Airlines for Minnesota Stranding Washington, D.C. – United States Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) today repeated their call for Congress to pass an Airline Passenger Bill of Rights after the Department of Transportation fined Continental Airlines and ExpressJet a combined $100,000 for stranding 47 passengers on Continental Airlines Flight 2816 overnight in Rochester, Minnesota in August. Additionally, DOT fined Mesaba Airlines $75,000, which provided ground handling for the flight, for its role in the incident. According to DOT, this is the first time an airline has been fined for a tarmac delay. The incident in Minnesota and others like it underscore the need for Congress to quickly pass the Boxer-Snowe Airline Passenger Bill of Rights. Senator Boxer said, “I am pleased that the Department of Transportation is sending a message to airlines that they need to protect passengers rights. But we must do more. This incident clearly shows that airline passengers need a bill of rights now.” Senator Snowe said, “Now in the midst of the holiday travel season, Americans nationwide continue to face the prospect of endless delays and no guarantee of service. Although the U.S. Department of Transportation has taken action and sent a strong signal to American airlines that they must protect the rights of passengers, we must do more to ensure there is some level of accountability and put in place the standards included in the Boxer-Snowe Passenger Bill of Rights. The flying public deserve no less.” The Boxer-Snowe Airline Passengers Bill of Rights would:

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Require airlines to provide passengers with food, potable water, comfortable cabin temperature and ventilation, and adequate restrooms while a plane is delayed on the ground.

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Require airlines to offer passengers the option of safely deplaning once they have sat on the ground for three hours after the plane door has closed. This option would be provided every three hours the plane continues to sit on the ground.

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Make airports and airlines develop contingency plans for delayed flights to be reviewed and approved by Department of Transportation (DOT). The bill also allows the DOT to fine air carriers and airports that do not submit or fail to comply with contingency plans.

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Direct the DOT to create a consumer complaint hotline so that passengers can alert the agency about delays.

This legislation is part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, which is now pending before the full Senate.

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