Senator on delays: Airlines should tell it like it is

[canyonblue]

Senator on delays: Airlines should tell it like it is

http://blogs.usatoday.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/today_schumer.jpg New York Senator Chuck Schumer wants airlines to be more candid with customers about flight delays. The New York Daily News writes that Schumer “unveiled a bill yesterday that would require airlines to tell ticket-holders of delays immediately.” In theory, that would allow fliers to “decide to cancel or change flights before they board a plane and sit for hours on the ramp.” Schumer’s call comes as New York City’s three local airports -– JFK, LaGuardia and Newark -– all rank in the bottom half of the nation's 33 busiest airports for on-time performance, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

"Nothing is more frustrating than when an airline knows that a flight is delayed but doesn't tell passengers until they are sitting on a plane and stuck with their ticket," Schumer tells the paper. "Airlines need to be honest with the public. Passengers deserve to know that their flight is delayed, and should have the option of rebooking."

 

[The Drizzle]

what an idiot

 

[SkiFishFly]

Amazing. Guess he and the majority of his staff haven't bought an airline ticket in years and never "read the fine print".
Or possibly they only purchase fully refundable first/business class.

 

[DXR-Beavis]

The New York Daily News writes that Schumer “unveiled a bill yesterday that would require airlines to tell ticket-holders of delays immediately.”

Does he mean immediately like when we find out about a ground stop an hour after it happens? Or we get a wheels up time that was 5 minutes ago and can't get a new one for another hour or two? Or when our planes sit in the NY metro airports for hours waiting to takeoff while NY TRACON and Wash Center engage in a pissing contest over miles-in-trail restrictions?

Windbag!

Sorry Chuckie, most of the time the airlines don't know about something like that until it happens.

 

[Dogwood]

As we all know, most of the time we don't know about the actual flight specific delay until our customers are already at the airport, at the gate or even already boarding.

Delays are often cancelled or we're rerouted to avoid the delay.

This is just politics at work. Charles has been supportive of JetBlue, so I can't really bash him just from a news story, but this is just how they speak. Then the press prints it out of context, and there ya go.

 

[FlyBarneyJets]

Classic knee-jerk legislation by a blow-hard know-nothing.

 

[filejw]

Really kind a funny when you think of it. Like the airlines want to keep a 40 million $ piece of a equipment on the grd. In the 28 yrs I have been doing this I've never seen the pax not be told immediately when we had a delay.Must be a slow day in the Senate.

 

[NuGuy]

Fine, I'll go along with his idea as long as it mandates electronic reporting of block/flight times.

Nu

 

[ivauir]

The bill needs to require the FAA to inform airlines of delays further in advance ....

 

[Gofish]

But the FAA is the government...thus Mr. Schumer's argument is with himself.

Ironic

 

[Bill Nelson]

Fine, I'll go along with his idea as long as it mandates electronic reporting of block/flight times.

Nu

Why do you care?

 

[GogglesPisano]

We need a "Passengers' Bill of Rights." Wait a second ....