Flyer advocate says Delta obtained hacked e-mails
By HARRY R. WEBER (AP) – Oct 13, 2009
ATLANTA — A passenger rights advocate accused Delta Air Lines Inc. in a federal lawsuit Tuesday of conspiring with a Virginia company to obtain hacked e-mails from her computer to help them derail her efforts to protect air travelers from lengthy tarmac delays and other inconveniences.
The suit, filed by Kate Hanni of FlyersRights.org in U.S. District Court in Houston, seeks at least $11 million in damages and a jury trial.
A spokesman for the world's biggest airline operator, Trebor Banstetter, denied that Delta hacked Hanni's e-mail account. He says Delta can't comment further on the lawsuit.
"Obviously, the idea that Delta would hack into someone's e-mail is clearly without merit," Banstetter said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Hanni and her group have been a thorn in the side of the airline industry, pushing Congress to enact a passenger bill of rights at a time when airlines are suffering from big revenue declines thanks to weak demand for air travel.
Among other things, Hanni supports a three-hour time limit on how long airlines can strand passengers on airport tarmacs. Legislation pending in the Senate would require that passengers be allowed to deplane after a three-hour wait.
There are exceptions for instances when the pilot believes the plane will take off in the next half-hour or it might be unsafe to leave the plane.
The lawsuit claims that while Hanni was sharing information with a person working for Metron Aviation Inc. of Dulles, Va., her personal computer files and FlyersRights.org e-mail accounts were hacked. She said her service provider, America Online, confirmed the e-mail accounts were hacked.
The lawsuit alleges that in late September, Metron executives confronted the worker with the stolen e-mails and claimed Delta was angry about Hanni getting information that would help pass the passenger bill of rights.
Hanni says that Metron officials claimed that Delta had provided them with the stolen e-mails.
In addition to the e-mails, Hanni said that spreadsheets, lists of donors and personal files were compromised by the alleged hacking.
The lawsuit, which also names Metron as a defendant, does not make clear specifically what was in the e-mails or who exactly committed the alleged hacking.
Metron Aviation, which provides research, airspace design, environmental analysis and software development services to the global air traffic industry and lists Delta as a customer, said in a statement that any allegations that suggest it "has behaved illegally or improperly in this matter are completely baseless and without merit." It said the company would have no further comment.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Related articles
Passenger rights advocate sues Delta over alleged e-mail hacking
Gadling (blog) - Oct 14, 2009
Delta Airlines accused of computer hacking
CompareCarrentals.com - Oct 14, 2009
Passenger group sues Delta
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More coverage (22) »
Add News to your Google HomepageFlyer advocate says Delta obtained hacked e-mails
By HARRY R. WEBER (AP) – Oct 13, 2009
ATLANTA — A passenger rights advocate accused Delta Air Lines Inc. in a federal lawsuit Tuesday of conspiring with a Virginia company to obtain hacked e-mails from her computer to help them derail her efforts to protect air travelers from lengthy tarmac delays and other inconveniences.
The suit, filed by Kate Hanni of FlyersRights.org in U.S. District Court in Houston, seeks at least $11 million in damages and a jury trial.
A spokesman for the world's biggest airline operator, Trebor Banstetter, denied that Delta hacked Hanni's e-mail account. He says Delta can't comment further on the lawsuit.
"Obviously, the idea that Delta would hack into someone's e-mail is clearly without merit," Banstetter said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Hanni and her group have been a thorn in the side of the airline industry, pushing Congress to enact a passenger bill of rights at a time when airlines are suffering from big revenue declines thanks to weak demand for air travel.
Among other things, Hanni supports a three-hour time limit on how long airlines can strand passengers on airport tarmacs. Legislation pending in the Senate would require that passengers be allowed to deplane after a three-hour wait.
There are exceptions for instances when the pilot believes the plane will take off in the next half-hour or it might be unsafe to leave the plane.
The lawsuit claims that while Hanni was sharing information with a person working for Metron Aviation Inc. of Dulles, Va., her personal computer files and FlyersRights.org e-mail accounts were hacked. She said her service provider, America Online, confirmed the e-mail accounts were hacked.
The lawsuit alleges that in late September, Metron executives confronted the worker with the stolen e-mails and claimed Delta was angry about Hanni getting information that would help pass the passenger bill of rights.
Hanni says that Metron officials claimed that Delta had provided them with the stolen e-mails.
In addition to the e-mails, Hanni said that spreadsheets, lists of donors and personal files were compromised by the alleged hacking.
The lawsuit, which also names Metron as a defendant, does not make clear specifically what was in the e-mails or who exactly committed the alleged hacking.
Metron Aviation, which provides research, airspace design, environmental analysis and software development services to the global air traffic industry and lists Delta as a customer, said in a statement that any allegations that suggest it "has behaved illegally or improperly in this matter are completely baseless and without merit." It said the company would have no further comment.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Related articles
Passenger rights advocate sues Delta over alleged e-mail hacking
Gadling (blog) - Oct 14, 2009
Delta Airlines accused of computer hacking
CompareCarrentals.com - Oct 14, 2009
Passenger group sues Delta
AZ Central.com - Oct 13, 2009
More coverage (22) »
Add News to your Google Homepage
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Passenger Rights Advocate Claims Delta Hacked Her Email
By Jon Hood
ConsumerAffairs.com
October 16, 2009
A leading proponent of the Airline Passenger's Bill of Rights making its way through Congress says that Delta Airlines hacked into her e-mail account in an effort to thwart the legislation.
Kate Hanni's complaint, filed in federal court in Houston, accuses Delta and a contractor of conspiracy and violation of privacy, and seeks at least $11 million in damages, most of them punitive.
Hanni founded the Coalition for an Airline Passengers Bill of Rights, which is lobbying Congress to impose more passenger-friendly requirements for planes stuck on runways for long periods of time. The bill would give passengers the right to disembark any aircraft that has been grounded for at least three hours, unless such an exit is deemed unsafe or the pilot reasonably believes the plane will take off within a half-hour. The legislation also requires airlines to provide adequate access to food, water, and restrooms for grounded passengers. The bill imposes fines for violations, and requires the Department of Transportation to approve airlines' individual plans for delayed flights.
Hanni's computer was illegally accessed over the summer; AOL confirmed that her e-mail account had been compromised. The hacker corrupted and destroyed some files, and copied others to a still-unknown location.
The facts of Hanni's case are bizarre and surprisingly dramatic. Hanni apparently began exchanging data about delays on Delta Airlines with an employee of Metron Aviation, a Virginia-based corporation that specializes in improving traffic flow management and reducing airline delays. Metron counts Delta as a client.
In a sworn affidavit, Frederick Foreman, the Metron employee, said that his superiors approached him in late September and informed him of the breach. They told him that the e-mails at issue were those between himself and Hanni, and that they were sent from his private, rather than company, e-mail account. Worse, Delta was furious that he had access to the flight delay data, despite the fact that it is publicly available information. Foreman was fired on the spot and escorted off of Metron's property.
Delta is fighting back, calling Hanni's allegations "absurd." But the airline certainly has an interest in preventing the legislation from passing. Such a bill would cost airlines at least $40 million in lost revenue.
Airlines have fought for years to keep Bill of Rights-style legislation from being passed. In 1999, the aviation industry headed off a similar bill by promising to meet tighter self-imposed standards. But support for federal legislation surged again in August, when 47 passengers were stranded on a grounded plane in Rochester, Minnesota. Inclement weather forced Continental Express Flight 2816 to divert while en route from Houston to Minneapolis, and passengers sat on the runway for six hours before finally being cleared for takeoff. The crew ran out of food almost immediately, and the small plane's sole toilet quickly filled up and sent a foul smell throughout the cabin.
While Flight 2816 drew its share of negative publicity, it was hardly the first such incident in recent years. In 2007, a JetBlue flight sat on the runway for 11 hours at JFK International Airport in New York, and a 2004 Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Seattle took 28 hours once all was said and done. The Northwest passengers, too, suffered through food and water shortages and an overwhelmed toilet. A passenger told the Today show that "at one point it seemed like we would have a riot towards the end."
Hanni's advocacy is based on personal experience. After being stranded on a tarmac in Austin in 2006, Hanni founded FlyersRights.com and began a determined push to get Congress to act.
Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/10/delta_billofrights_hack.html#ixzz0VUBmKPIm
ConsumerAffairs.com
October 16, 2009
A leading proponent of the Airline Passenger's Bill of Rights making its way through Congress says that Delta Airlines hacked into her e-mail account in an effort to thwart the legislation.
Kate Hanni's complaint, filed in federal court in Houston, accuses Delta and a contractor of conspiracy and violation of privacy, and seeks at least $11 million in damages, most of them punitive.
Hanni founded the Coalition for an Airline Passengers Bill of Rights, which is lobbying Congress to impose more passenger-friendly requirements for planes stuck on runways for long periods of time. The bill would give passengers the right to disembark any aircraft that has been grounded for at least three hours, unless such an exit is deemed unsafe or the pilot reasonably believes the plane will take off within a half-hour. The legislation also requires airlines to provide adequate access to food, water, and restrooms for grounded passengers. The bill imposes fines for violations, and requires the Department of Transportation to approve airlines' individual plans for delayed flights.
Hanni's computer was illegally accessed over the summer; AOL confirmed that her e-mail account had been compromised. The hacker corrupted and destroyed some files, and copied others to a still-unknown location.
The facts of Hanni's case are bizarre and surprisingly dramatic. Hanni apparently began exchanging data about delays on Delta Airlines with an employee of Metron Aviation, a Virginia-based corporation that specializes in improving traffic flow management and reducing airline delays. Metron counts Delta as a client.
In a sworn affidavit, Frederick Foreman, the Metron employee, said that his superiors approached him in late September and informed him of the breach. They told him that the e-mails at issue were those between himself and Hanni, and that they were sent from his private, rather than company, e-mail account. Worse, Delta was furious that he had access to the flight delay data, despite the fact that it is publicly available information. Foreman was fired on the spot and escorted off of Metron's property.
Delta is fighting back, calling Hanni's allegations "absurd." But the airline certainly has an interest in preventing the legislation from passing. Such a bill would cost airlines at least $40 million in lost revenue.
Airlines have fought for years to keep Bill of Rights-style legislation from being passed. In 1999, the aviation industry headed off a similar bill by promising to meet tighter self-imposed standards. But support for federal legislation surged again in August, when 47 passengers were stranded on a grounded plane in Rochester, Minnesota. Inclement weather forced Continental Express Flight 2816 to divert while en route from Houston to Minneapolis, and passengers sat on the runway for six hours before finally being cleared for takeoff. The crew ran out of food almost immediately, and the small plane's sole toilet quickly filled up and sent a foul smell throughout the cabin.
While Flight 2816 drew its share of negative publicity, it was hardly the first such incident in recent years. In 2007, a JetBlue flight sat on the runway for 11 hours at JFK International Airport in New York, and a 2004 Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Seattle took 28 hours once all was said and done. The Northwest passengers, too, suffered through food and water shortages and an overwhelmed toilet. A passenger told the Today show that "at one point it seemed like we would have a riot towards the end."
Hanni's advocacy is based on personal experience. After being stranded on a tarmac in Austin in 2006, Hanni founded FlyersRights.com and began a determined push to get Congress to act.
Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/10/delta_billofrights_hack.html#ixzz0VUBmKPIm
Friday, October 9, 2009
Associated Press Editorial
Surviving dreaded delay on airport tarmac
By Harry R. Weber
Associated Press
Published: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009 4:23 p.m. MDT
ATLANTA — You're tired, hungry, have a cranky baby on your lap and all you want to do is get off the plane, but you can't because it's been on the tarmac for hours waiting to take off.
A six-hour delay with 47 people aboard a small Continental Express plane at a Minnesota airport recently is the extreme. In June, the most recent month for which data is available, there were 278 tarmac delays of three hours or more. That was the most this year but still only .05 percent of the total number of scheduled flights that month.
Information is the best ammunition in such situations. Experts advise that passengers be prepared. Here are answers to some questions travelers may ask.
Q. Can't I just get off the plane?
A. No. The captain has ultimate control of the plane and generally will determine if and when to return to the gate and allow passengers to get off.
"It's not a democracy," says Robert Mann, an airline industry consultant in Port Washington, N.Y.
Passengers can request that the aircraft return to the gate, or if they have a cell phone they can call airline customer service or their carrier's frequent flier hotline and exert pressure that way. If you have a medical condition or are ill, notify the crew immediately. But taking matters into your own hands is ill-advised. An FAA spokeswoman says unruly passengers who make a run for the aircraft door could be arrested for interfering with the crew.
Q. Why would the airline choose to keep the passengers onboard rather than let them get off?
A. It takes a lot of time to get passengers off a plane and then back on again. If the weather clears up at the airport where you are heading, the crew may have a limited opportunity to take off. Tarmac delays often occur because of bad weather, congestion and air traffic control issues. Further delays could be caused by allowing passengers to get off, which also could mean passengers with connecting flights might miss those connections.
Airline operations also are a factor. Because of weak demand for air travel due to the ailing economy, airlines have taken large chunks of seats out of the air and are offering fewer flights and frequencies to some destinations.
"It may add to the reason there are the tarmac delays and not the cancellations," says Terry Trippler, an airline and travel expert based in Minneapolis. "The airlines realize that there aren't a lot of flights to get them onto alternate flights, and that's why they rather just wait and get them out."
Q. How long can the crew keep me on the plane before heading back to the gate?
A. There's no law or rule mandating that the crew allow you to get off after a certain period. Legislation introduced in the Senate in July would require planes delayed more than three hours to return to a gate. A rule proposed by the Department of Transportation would require airlines to have contingency plans for dealing with lengthy tarmac delays. Some airlines have implemented customer commitments in recent years to try to appease passengers. JetBlue Airways vows to deplane passengers if an aircraft is delayed on the ground for five hours. That was instituted in 2007 after passengers on a JetBlue flight waited 11 hours on the tarmac at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Q. Will I get something to eat and drink while I wait?
A. Airlines generally only stock enough food and drinks for the length of the flight. Passengers on the Continental Express flight later complained about not being offered food and drink during their lengthy tarmac delay. Several airlines have procedures for dealing with onboard delays that include making sure the cabin temperature is appropriate and passengers have access to restrooms, and food and water.
After a recent AirTran Airways flight from Pittsburgh to Atlanta was diverted to Chattanooga, Tenn., flight attendants offered bottled water and pretzels to passengers during the 90-minute tarmac delay.
Delta Air Lines says on its Web site that in the event of onboard ground delays under certain circumstances, it promises to make timely announcements regarding the flight status, allow customers to use cell phones and laptop computers and provide snacks and beverages to customers when "reasonable and safe to do so." Experts advise that passengers should carry food and drink with them on flights in case of a delay while onboard.
"Instead of that extra pair of shoes in your carryon, you put an extra sandwich or an extra bottle of water," Trippler says.
Q. What can I do to pass the time during a tarmac delay?
A. On a long delay you might be hoping that you're not stuck next to someone who wants to share his life story. In that case on-flight TV or radio may be your salvation. What's more, it's always smart to carry something to read to get you through a delay no matter how long.
If you have a connecting flight that you might miss, use your cell phone to call airline customer service and rebook your next flight. The one thing experts agree on is that it is important to stay calm in those situations.
Q. What kind of compensation am I entitled to if I experience a tarmac delay?
A. Typically, circumstances beyond the control of an airline are not covered in terms of passengers being provided compensation, says aviation consultant Mark Kiefer of CRA International in Boston. However, airlines have discretion to help passengers out, and some even have policies for allowing for compensation when there are tarmac delays.
For instance, JetBlue customers who experience an onboard ground delay on arrival for two hours or more after scheduled arrival time are entitled to a voucher. The voucher is good for future travel on JetBlue in the amount paid by the customer for their roundtrip ticket.
Q. Where can I get more information about airline policies regarding tarmac delays?
A. Airline Web sites are a good place to start. Check the airline's contract of carriage, which outlines its responsibilities to customers and the action it will take in various situations.
By Harry R. Weber
Associated Press
Published: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009 4:23 p.m. MDT
ATLANTA — You're tired, hungry, have a cranky baby on your lap and all you want to do is get off the plane, but you can't because it's been on the tarmac for hours waiting to take off.
A six-hour delay with 47 people aboard a small Continental Express plane at a Minnesota airport recently is the extreme. In June, the most recent month for which data is available, there were 278 tarmac delays of three hours or more. That was the most this year but still only .05 percent of the total number of scheduled flights that month.
Information is the best ammunition in such situations. Experts advise that passengers be prepared. Here are answers to some questions travelers may ask.
Q. Can't I just get off the plane?
A. No. The captain has ultimate control of the plane and generally will determine if and when to return to the gate and allow passengers to get off.
"It's not a democracy," says Robert Mann, an airline industry consultant in Port Washington, N.Y.
Passengers can request that the aircraft return to the gate, or if they have a cell phone they can call airline customer service or their carrier's frequent flier hotline and exert pressure that way. If you have a medical condition or are ill, notify the crew immediately. But taking matters into your own hands is ill-advised. An FAA spokeswoman says unruly passengers who make a run for the aircraft door could be arrested for interfering with the crew.
Q. Why would the airline choose to keep the passengers onboard rather than let them get off?
A. It takes a lot of time to get passengers off a plane and then back on again. If the weather clears up at the airport where you are heading, the crew may have a limited opportunity to take off. Tarmac delays often occur because of bad weather, congestion and air traffic control issues. Further delays could be caused by allowing passengers to get off, which also could mean passengers with connecting flights might miss those connections.
Airline operations also are a factor. Because of weak demand for air travel due to the ailing economy, airlines have taken large chunks of seats out of the air and are offering fewer flights and frequencies to some destinations.
"It may add to the reason there are the tarmac delays and not the cancellations," says Terry Trippler, an airline and travel expert based in Minneapolis. "The airlines realize that there aren't a lot of flights to get them onto alternate flights, and that's why they rather just wait and get them out."
Q. How long can the crew keep me on the plane before heading back to the gate?
A. There's no law or rule mandating that the crew allow you to get off after a certain period. Legislation introduced in the Senate in July would require planes delayed more than three hours to return to a gate. A rule proposed by the Department of Transportation would require airlines to have contingency plans for dealing with lengthy tarmac delays. Some airlines have implemented customer commitments in recent years to try to appease passengers. JetBlue Airways vows to deplane passengers if an aircraft is delayed on the ground for five hours. That was instituted in 2007 after passengers on a JetBlue flight waited 11 hours on the tarmac at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Q. Will I get something to eat and drink while I wait?
A. Airlines generally only stock enough food and drinks for the length of the flight. Passengers on the Continental Express flight later complained about not being offered food and drink during their lengthy tarmac delay. Several airlines have procedures for dealing with onboard delays that include making sure the cabin temperature is appropriate and passengers have access to restrooms, and food and water.
After a recent AirTran Airways flight from Pittsburgh to Atlanta was diverted to Chattanooga, Tenn., flight attendants offered bottled water and pretzels to passengers during the 90-minute tarmac delay.
Delta Air Lines says on its Web site that in the event of onboard ground delays under certain circumstances, it promises to make timely announcements regarding the flight status, allow customers to use cell phones and laptop computers and provide snacks and beverages to customers when "reasonable and safe to do so." Experts advise that passengers should carry food and drink with them on flights in case of a delay while onboard.
"Instead of that extra pair of shoes in your carryon, you put an extra sandwich or an extra bottle of water," Trippler says.
Q. What can I do to pass the time during a tarmac delay?
A. On a long delay you might be hoping that you're not stuck next to someone who wants to share his life story. In that case on-flight TV or radio may be your salvation. What's more, it's always smart to carry something to read to get you through a delay no matter how long.
If you have a connecting flight that you might miss, use your cell phone to call airline customer service and rebook your next flight. The one thing experts agree on is that it is important to stay calm in those situations.
Q. What kind of compensation am I entitled to if I experience a tarmac delay?
A. Typically, circumstances beyond the control of an airline are not covered in terms of passengers being provided compensation, says aviation consultant Mark Kiefer of CRA International in Boston. However, airlines have discretion to help passengers out, and some even have policies for allowing for compensation when there are tarmac delays.
For instance, JetBlue customers who experience an onboard ground delay on arrival for two hours or more after scheduled arrival time are entitled to a voucher. The voucher is good for future travel on JetBlue in the amount paid by the customer for their roundtrip ticket.
Q. Where can I get more information about airline policies regarding tarmac delays?
A. Airline Web sites are a good place to start. Check the airline's contract of carriage, which outlines its responsibilities to customers and the action it will take in various situations.
Seattle Times Editorial
Saturday, September 26, 2009 - Page updated at 11:17 AM
Permission to reprint or copy this article or photo, other than personal use, must be obtained from The Seattle Times. Call 206-464-3113 206-464-3113 or e-mail resale@seattletimes.com with your request.
RICHARD DREW / AP
Travelers wait for flights while planes idle on the tarmac at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, in this Feb. 15, 2007, file photo. From January to June 2009, 613 planes were delayed on tarmacs for more than three hours, their passengers kept on board, the government says.
Pass bill to set tarmac-bound fliers free after three hours
YOU'VE heard the horror stories: Airplanes stuffed full of passengers sit on tarmacs for six, seven, even 10 hours — while passengers overheat, toilets overflow, and some people become seriously ill.
Congress need not dither long on legislation giving passengers assurance they will be treated better. The legislation, which every member of Congress should support, says passengers must be allowed to disembark if a plane is stuck longer than three hours. Not only is it inhumane to leave people trapped in deplorable conditions, it is physically harmful.
A 2007 World Health Organization study says the risk of developing such things as pulmonary embolism doubles after four hours of seated immobility.
Increased passenger rights, sponsored by Sens. Barbara Boxer and Olympia Snowe, Democrat and Republican, should be part of final Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization legislation this year or passed as a stand-alone bill.
The legislative mechanism is not the point. What matters is swift recognition the flying public deserves better treatment
Airlines also should be required to provide food, water, adequate restrooms, proper ventilation and access to medications as planes await takeoff. After three hours, passengers should be able to return to the terminal and move around. A reasonable exception says passengers need not disembark if the pilot believes he will take off in the next half-hour or if it is hazardous to deplane.
A spokesman for the Air Transport Association, which represents large airlines, worries children who fly alone might be stranded in a strange airport. Possibly, but the airlines can implement clear procedures to assure children traveling alone are not left in airports to fend for themselves
Congress knows this bill is popular. The best bet is to include passenger rights in an extension of FAA reauthorization legislation, which means it would become law quickly.
Airlines have left too many passengers on the tarmac for too many hours. Green-light this legislation and give the flying public the comfort of knowing their basic needs will be respected.
Permission to reprint or copy this article or photo, other than personal use, must be obtained from The Seattle Times. Call 206-464-3113 206-464-3113 or e-mail resale@seattletimes.com with your request.
RICHARD DREW / AP
Travelers wait for flights while planes idle on the tarmac at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, in this Feb. 15, 2007, file photo. From January to June 2009, 613 planes were delayed on tarmacs for more than three hours, their passengers kept on board, the government says.
Pass bill to set tarmac-bound fliers free after three hours
YOU'VE heard the horror stories: Airplanes stuffed full of passengers sit on tarmacs for six, seven, even 10 hours — while passengers overheat, toilets overflow, and some people become seriously ill.
Congress need not dither long on legislation giving passengers assurance they will be treated better. The legislation, which every member of Congress should support, says passengers must be allowed to disembark if a plane is stuck longer than three hours. Not only is it inhumane to leave people trapped in deplorable conditions, it is physically harmful.
A 2007 World Health Organization study says the risk of developing such things as pulmonary embolism doubles after four hours of seated immobility.
Increased passenger rights, sponsored by Sens. Barbara Boxer and Olympia Snowe, Democrat and Republican, should be part of final Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization legislation this year or passed as a stand-alone bill.
The legislative mechanism is not the point. What matters is swift recognition the flying public deserves better treatment
Airlines also should be required to provide food, water, adequate restrooms, proper ventilation and access to medications as planes await takeoff. After three hours, passengers should be able to return to the terminal and move around. A reasonable exception says passengers need not disembark if the pilot believes he will take off in the next half-hour or if it is hazardous to deplane.
A spokesman for the Air Transport Association, which represents large airlines, worries children who fly alone might be stranded in a strange airport. Possibly, but the airlines can implement clear procedures to assure children traveling alone are not left in airports to fend for themselves
Congress knows this bill is popular. The best bet is to include passenger rights in an extension of FAA reauthorization legislation, which means it would become law quickly.
Airlines have left too many passengers on the tarmac for too many hours. Green-light this legislation and give the flying public the comfort of knowing their basic needs will be respected.
FlyersRights.org has truly made it. Watch Southpark Dead Celebrities!
Southpark the adult cartoon show that is so popular in the US has done an entire episode on "purgatory" that time spent on a plane on the tarmac without goods or services.
We will be editing the video to include only the pertinent parts of this episode and beeping out the inappropriate for all audiences language. But until then you can tune in any night this week and right at minute 9 you'll see the impact we've made on Southpark!
Kate
We will be editing the video to include only the pertinent parts of this episode and beeping out the inappropriate for all audiences language. But until then you can tune in any night this week and right at minute 9 you'll see the impact we've made on Southpark!
Kate
"Don't drink the water"
October 12, 2009
Contact:
Kate Hanni
(707) 337-0328
kate@flyersrights.com
For Immediate Release
Flyersrights.org Plea to Airline Passengers: “Don’t Drink the Water!”
Consumer Advocacy Group Disappointed in Latest EPA Guidelines for Providing Safe Drinking Water Aboard Airplanes
Napa, CA (October 12, 2009) – Flyersrights.org, the national advocacy group for airline passengers in the United States, has gone on record by stating that last week’s finalized EPA guidelines regarding airline drinking water are insufficient and basically allow the airlines to operate as they please without regard to passenger health and safety.
The new EPA guidelines, which are based on a 2004 study in which 15% of airliners tested positive for coliform, call for mandatory testing every five years. In addition, the EPA is only required to do random inspections on airplane water systems and the new rules don’t commence for another 18 months.
Kate Hanni, founder and president of Flyersrights.org does not think the new rules adequately address passenger health concerns.
“Testing water every five years for coliform is simply unacceptable. The flying public trusts the airlines to provide it with basic needs such as potable, hygienic water -and the airlines are failing the task. Now the government has attempted to regulate, yet has clearly bowed down to the airlines with extremely lax new rules that do not address the issue. Our recommendation to passengers is that they do not drink water on board an airplane unless it is bottled, do not brush teeth with bathroom tap water and disinfect further after washing hands in airplane bathrooms”, said Hanni.
Paul Ziots, a passenger who was stranded on the tarmac in Austin in 2006 for almost nine hours, knows the dangers of airplane tap water all too well.
“All we had on board the aircraft was tap water. I became ill with intestinal problems, and had to put myself up for two nights in an airport hotel, at my own expense, before aborting my trip and flying home”, he states.
Flyersrights.org was formed in 2007 by several passengers who were stranded for nine hours on the tarmac in Austin, Texas. The organization advocates for passengers’ rights, including passage of the Passenger’s Bill of Rights currently being debated in Congress. The organization currently has 27,000 members nationwide. For more information, visit www.flyersrights.org or call the hotline at 1-877-FLYERS6.
###
Contact:
Kate Hanni
(707) 337-0328
kate@flyersrights.com
For Immediate Release
Flyersrights.org Plea to Airline Passengers: “Don’t Drink the Water!”
Consumer Advocacy Group Disappointed in Latest EPA Guidelines for Providing Safe Drinking Water Aboard Airplanes
Napa, CA (October 12, 2009) – Flyersrights.org, the national advocacy group for airline passengers in the United States, has gone on record by stating that last week’s finalized EPA guidelines regarding airline drinking water are insufficient and basically allow the airlines to operate as they please without regard to passenger health and safety.
The new EPA guidelines, which are based on a 2004 study in which 15% of airliners tested positive for coliform, call for mandatory testing every five years. In addition, the EPA is only required to do random inspections on airplane water systems and the new rules don’t commence for another 18 months.
Kate Hanni, founder and president of Flyersrights.org does not think the new rules adequately address passenger health concerns.
“Testing water every five years for coliform is simply unacceptable. The flying public trusts the airlines to provide it with basic needs such as potable, hygienic water -and the airlines are failing the task. Now the government has attempted to regulate, yet has clearly bowed down to the airlines with extremely lax new rules that do not address the issue. Our recommendation to passengers is that they do not drink water on board an airplane unless it is bottled, do not brush teeth with bathroom tap water and disinfect further after washing hands in airplane bathrooms”, said Hanni.
Paul Ziots, a passenger who was stranded on the tarmac in Austin in 2006 for almost nine hours, knows the dangers of airplane tap water all too well.
“All we had on board the aircraft was tap water. I became ill with intestinal problems, and had to put myself up for two nights in an airport hotel, at my own expense, before aborting my trip and flying home”, he states.
Flyersrights.org was formed in 2007 by several passengers who were stranded for nine hours on the tarmac in Austin, Texas. The organization advocates for passengers’ rights, including passage of the Passenger’s Bill of Rights currently being debated in Congress. The organization currently has 27,000 members nationwide. For more information, visit www.flyersrights.org or call the hotline at 1-877-FLYERS6.
###
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