Dennis Miller
What about my Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2003
- Posts
- 200
I'm also filing a lawsuit against Telemundo because I don't know what the f*ck they are saying.
Sanford-based airline accused of discrimination
By LYDA LONGA
Staff Writer
DELTONA -- The Volusia County Hispanic Association has filed a complaint against PanAm Airways, alleging the carrier discriminates against Hispanics who use the airline's Sanford-to-San Juan service.
Association President Zenaida Denizac said she sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation in late April after fielding complaints from at least three dozen Hispanics who use PanAm's service from Orlando-Sanford International Airport to the San Juan International Airport in Puerto Rico.
The complainants told Denizac of frequent three- and four-hour delays every time they fly that route. Federal regulators couldn't confirm the long waits, but said delays of more than an hour are unusual. Denizac said members of her association feel the airline would provide better service if they were not Hispanic.
"This would not be happening if we were Anglos," Denizac said. "PanAm is trying to lift its business off the backs of Hispanics. I have flown other airlines to San Juan, and I have never experienced such horrible delays."
PanAm officials did not return repeated telephone calls for this story. The New Hampshire-based airline averages about four flights a day from the Sanford airport. The number of flights to San Juan varies weekly.
Sanford Airport Authority President Larry Dale was aware of the association's complaints but said he had not heard similar comments from other travelers.
"The delays are not intentional, of course," Dale said. "They are due to mechanical problems or weather. No airline wants to fly with delays."
Department of Transportation officials in Washington had received Denizac's complaint by last week but would not say whether there would be an investigation. DOT spokesman Bill Mosley said the federal agency monitors the flight delays of only the country's largest airlines, and PanAm is not one of them.
"They're not even required to report their delays to us," Mosley said. "But three- and four-hour delays are too long. The worst delays we saw in the month of April belonged to one airline that reported the waiting times were between 28 and 47 minutes."
The country's top 10 carriers reported arriving on time 82.6 percent of the time in April, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The agency also reported 18 complaints of discrimination against the largest carriers.
Denizac, who has been president of the Hispanic Association since January, has experienced the delays firsthand. She and her husband fly to San Juan at least three times a year. They like to use the Sanford airport because it offers direct flights and is close to their Deltona home.
Travelers could choose to fly out of Daytona Beach or Orlando instead. If they fly from Orlando International Airport, though, flights to San Juan may be cheaper but are not always direct. One route, for instance, would take travelers as far away as Philadelphia, making the normally two-hour journey last 16 hours.
Flying out of Daytona Beach is even more arduous. One option would take 18 hours, leading travelers through Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale before finally landing in San Juan.
Despite the marathon flight times from other airports, the PanAm delays have given Denizac and others second thoughts about using the Sanford airport.
Frequent traveler Israel Lopez vows he will no longer fly PanAm.
"These delays are not the exception, they're the norm," said the Winter Springs resident, who has used PanAm five times to fly from Sanford to San Juan. "I've had problems on three flights. We are talking delays of over four hours." However, the group did not discuss the possibility that other airlines were just more efficient.
Sanford-based airline accused of discrimination
By LYDA LONGA
Staff Writer
DELTONA -- The Volusia County Hispanic Association has filed a complaint against PanAm Airways, alleging the carrier discriminates against Hispanics who use the airline's Sanford-to-San Juan service.
Association President Zenaida Denizac said she sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation in late April after fielding complaints from at least three dozen Hispanics who use PanAm's service from Orlando-Sanford International Airport to the San Juan International Airport in Puerto Rico.
The complainants told Denizac of frequent three- and four-hour delays every time they fly that route. Federal regulators couldn't confirm the long waits, but said delays of more than an hour are unusual. Denizac said members of her association feel the airline would provide better service if they were not Hispanic.
"This would not be happening if we were Anglos," Denizac said. "PanAm is trying to lift its business off the backs of Hispanics. I have flown other airlines to San Juan, and I have never experienced such horrible delays."
PanAm officials did not return repeated telephone calls for this story. The New Hampshire-based airline averages about four flights a day from the Sanford airport. The number of flights to San Juan varies weekly.
Sanford Airport Authority President Larry Dale was aware of the association's complaints but said he had not heard similar comments from other travelers.
"The delays are not intentional, of course," Dale said. "They are due to mechanical problems or weather. No airline wants to fly with delays."
Department of Transportation officials in Washington had received Denizac's complaint by last week but would not say whether there would be an investigation. DOT spokesman Bill Mosley said the federal agency monitors the flight delays of only the country's largest airlines, and PanAm is not one of them.
"They're not even required to report their delays to us," Mosley said. "But three- and four-hour delays are too long. The worst delays we saw in the month of April belonged to one airline that reported the waiting times were between 28 and 47 minutes."
The country's top 10 carriers reported arriving on time 82.6 percent of the time in April, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The agency also reported 18 complaints of discrimination against the largest carriers.
Denizac, who has been president of the Hispanic Association since January, has experienced the delays firsthand. She and her husband fly to San Juan at least three times a year. They like to use the Sanford airport because it offers direct flights and is close to their Deltona home.
Travelers could choose to fly out of Daytona Beach or Orlando instead. If they fly from Orlando International Airport, though, flights to San Juan may be cheaper but are not always direct. One route, for instance, would take travelers as far away as Philadelphia, making the normally two-hour journey last 16 hours.
Flying out of Daytona Beach is even more arduous. One option would take 18 hours, leading travelers through Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale before finally landing in San Juan.
Despite the marathon flight times from other airports, the PanAm delays have given Denizac and others second thoughts about using the Sanford airport.
Frequent traveler Israel Lopez vows he will no longer fly PanAm.
"These delays are not the exception, they're the norm," said the Winter Springs resident, who has used PanAm five times to fly from Sanford to San Juan. "I've had problems on three flights. We are talking delays of over four hours." However, the group did not discuss the possibility that other airlines were just more efficient.
