AIRLINE PASSENGER

Airline Passenger Bill of Rights

Airline Passenger Bill of Rights

Outline of Paper

Blog

Airline Passenger Bill of Rights

Interview

PRO-Airline Passenger Bill of Rights

ANTI-Airline Passenger Bill of Rights

Blog

Airline Passenger Bill of Rights

WASHINGTON - In the dog days of summer when airport delays are unparralled and passengers' anxiety levels are high, airline passenger advocates are speaking and Congress is listening; but perhaps their advocates are not loud enough. The Airline Passenger Bill of Rights has failed passage and in four Congresses, just as mainline carriers such as USAir and Delta have announced additional fees for checked baggage and less compensation for delayed passengers, just as their lower-fare counterparts like Spirit and Southwest have ordered more jets with non-reclining seats - all illustrating a trend that airlines are seemingly more interested in preserving shrinking bottom lines and less interested in compensating consumers for delays and mishaps along the way.

Interview

This passenger Bill of Rights thing seems to focus heavily on tarmac delays. Where I'm from, “rights” means plural; so let's not stop at one new rule, there are a few more things I'd like to see airlines get forced to do (since we obviously need to tell them the obvious). Here's list of new rules and regulations which is conducted from the interview with KATE HANNI:

* One Seat - One Person Rule - Fat people must buy two seats! I'm sorry - but if you cannot fit all of your meat within the boundaries of your own seat - you must either purchase two seats or cut me a check for the part of my seat you are using. I know, I know - hereditary, glands, etc. - that's still no reason I should be crammed into the plane's window like a can of sardines!

* BEA (Baby Enforcement Act) - Parents of crying babes should be fined if they neglect to stop the baby from crying. I get it, sometimes there's nothing you can do to stop a baby from crying. On the other hand, sitting there watching the child cry is not what I consider a good faith effort. Rock the baby, use a pacifier, get your ass up and go to the restroom - whatever. While your child is a bundle of joy to you - their non-stop crying annoys the hell out of the entire plane. While we are at it - little kids who kick the back of the seat in front of them should be ejected off the plane. I'm only half kidding here folks.

* Travel Suitcase Regulations (TSR) - Don't allow airlines to charge you for your bag then claim your contents are not guaranteed as part of ticket. That garbage worked when the ticket represented a contract between your body and the plane. Now that airlines are actually charging for baggage - they need to own up and pay for 'actual damages' and any indirect costs of delays. You can't be half-pregnant here!

* Ban Cell Phones - Prevent cell phones form being used ...