Ten Years Later 9-9-11

Ten Years After 9/11, TSA Doubts Remain

A decade after this century’s “Day of Infamy,” FlyersRights still questions our government’s efforts to provide real air travel security. Like all other Americans, we at FlyersRights.org want our travel to be safe. However, we demand that security measures imposed upon us be effective, safe, constitutional, and consistently-applied.

Are we getting what we need? Chicago Tribune reporter Jon Hilkevitch recently took a hard look at security issues and the government’s attempts to address them since 9/11. In his September 6^th article, Hilkevitch notes that travel hassles remain, with doubtful assurances of real security. Many Americans (FlyersRights members among them) are dissatisfied and skeptical of what he calls “silly and ineffective security measures designed to obscure glaring weaknesses in a well-funded system that has had 10 years to get it right.”

We pad, barefoot, through security lines, shove our personal belongings into the maw of an X-ray machine, face the choice of standing in a machine that irradiates us while conducting a strip search or submitting to a groping body search, and then spend more time getting reorganized enough to make it to the gate. Yet we aren’t actually contributing to more secure air travel—we’re just participating in an endless game of Security Theater.

There are signs of progress, as the TSA explores better ways to secure our travel, but pilot programs and research are not enough. FlyersRights will continue to speak for America’s air travelling public until sanity returns to air security.

Newsletter Week of September 4th

EPIC Pressures TSA Boarding Plan-What Do You Think? FlyersRights' Craigslist Victim Ticket Terms and Conditions EPIC Pressures TSA Our friends and allies at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) have upped the ante in their ongoing legal battlewith the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). FlyersRights founder and Executive Director Kate Hanni and three FlyersRights volunteers were in the EPIC office last January when the organization filed suit against the TSA, challenging the constitutionality of TSA's full body scanners. Last week, EPIC moved the effort forward. Kate has consistently voiced our message-we demand security measures that are effective, safe, constitutional, and consistently applied. She has hammered home the fact that the machines are useless against liquids and powders, both at the January EPIC conference on TSA security and in conference calls on the issue. EPIC agrees. In their August 31 press release, they announced their issues with a recent federal appeals court decision that some elements of the lawsuit, but denied others. EPIC objected to the appeals court's assertion that the machines are effective, along with other reasons supporting a rehearing on the matter. Chief among those objections is EPIC's challenge of the court's finding that the devices detect "liquid and powders." They know that's simply not true, as Kate has been saying all along. Remember, the GAO looked at the effectiveness issue last year, and said "It remains unclear whether the AIT would have detected the weapon used in the December 2009 incident." That was the famous "Underwear Bomber" incident, and the GAO cannot state that the scanners would have detected the powders in the bomber's underwear. Stay tuned as we continue to work with EPIC on this vital air travel issue. Boarding Plan-What Do You Think? Fermilab astrophysicist Jason Steffen shares our frustration with the many irritants of air travel. Even after we dig through fare information (ferreting out which of the 150 added "fees" will apply), find a place to park at the airport, and make our way through the TSA strip'n'grope, we face the halting shuffle down the jetway and into the airplane. Consider this: how long would it take 132 people to file into seats at a football game? How long does it take those same 132 people to get seated in the 737? Steffan decided to study the aircraft boarding problem and has developed an "optimum boarding plan" that he says could save airlines more than a billion dollars a year. Here's his suggested boarding sequence: Every other windows seat on one side Every other window seat on the other side Every other middle seat Every other aisle seat Repeat the process for the remaining window, middle, and aisle seats He says the procedure gives everyone elbowroom to shove their bags into the overhead and time to get seated without the usual aisle traffic jam. In tests with 72 passengers, he claims boarding time was cut in half when compared to the usual sequence that boards five rows at a time, rear to front. Steffan readily admits that the procedure's reverse would not work at flight's end because we've all had enough by then and just want to get out of there. What do you think? Can his plan work? Let us know at opinion@flyersrights.org. FlyersRights' Craigslist Victim FlyersRights member Mila Morris had an unusual experience recently and asked our help. While planning a Las Vegas vacation, Mila and her husband found some Delta vouchers on Craigslist for a great price. She bought the vouchers for $502, including a $52 fee direct to Delta, after first receiving confirmation from Delta that the tickets were valid. The couple boarded in Nashville and flew to Atlanta for a plane change. Unfortunately, the gate agent at ATL refused to board them and notified them that their tickets were fraudulent. After first deciding to spend the night in Atlanta, they went to collect their luggage, but discovered that it had departed Atlanta without them (a violation of TSA rules), and so they elected to follow it that day. They had no alternative but to buy $1,191 tickets to continue their trip. Listen to Mila tell her story, and to the warning she wants us all to hear. Mila turned to FlyersRights for help after the trip, and we forwarded her e-mail to Delta's Director of Customer Service, asking what they could do to help. Throughout this incident, all parties (except the Craigslist seller) acting in good faith, yet the result was very poor. Delta responded to Mila's message and our request for help, expressing regret for the incident but pointing out that their vouchers clearly prohibit sale or barter. Indeed, anexample of a Delta Credit Voucher displays this warning directly below the certificate details: VOID IF SOLD, BARTERED OR EXCHANGED FOR COMPENSATION When Mila checked the certificate's validity, before buying it, it was valid, as Delta told her. It was only invalidated when it was sold. Still, we asked why the Morris's were allowed to fly the first segment and why their luggage was transported, unaccompanied, to Las Vegas. Delta Airlines did not respond to these questions by press time. The Morris's also objected to aircraft conditions during the rest of the trip and other issues. All in all, the travel experience killed the joy of a Vegas vacation to celebrate their third wedding anniversary and Mila's recent achievement of her MBA degree. Delta refunded the $52 fees and taxes they had collected and provided what they called "service recovery" for the Morris's unfortunate experience with smelly aircraft. Their Director of Customer Services also noted that they have placed a warning on the Atlanta Craigslist site, but that Craigslist rules prevent them from posting that warning on all sites. In her words, "we are planning on doing an educational tweet and blog posting stating again that ticket vouchers may not be sold or bartered." Unfortunately, we were less than 100% successful in this case, but Mila and her husband did receive some compensation for their ordeal. The lessons here are clear: First, beware the brutal, caveat emptor nature of online flea markets like Craigslist. Second, understand that an airline ticket or voucher is a legal contract, and it comes complete with terms and conditions that can make us victims if we don't clearly understand them. Ticket Terms and Conditions The Morris's story mentions the mouse-print terms and conditions on printed tickets and the easier to read but still complex terms and conditions on electronic voucher forms. How many of us read those terms and conditions (called T's and C's), fare rules, or the airline's contract of carriage. Right-just as we thought. The T's and C's may contain almost any restriction or condition the airline wishes to impose. For example, the Delta credit voucher T's and C's include provisions regarding the prohibition against sale or barter, carriers for which the certificate is valid, redemption window, penalties for changes, replacement restrictions (if you lose this, we won't replace it), and, undoubtedly, a statement that by using the voucher the passenger agrees to the T's and C's. Remember, for the very latest in airline passenger rights news, Facebook users can "like" the FlyersRights Fan Page. Also, please check in on our Flyers Rights Education Fund Cause Page.

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Global Travel Congress

Kate Speaks to Global Travel Congress Hurricane Irene Shatters Air Schedules What Are Your Cancellation Rights? FlyersRights Helps Again Kate Speaks to Global Congress on Travel On August 26th and 27th, our Executive Director addressed the Global Congress on Legal, Safety, and Security Issues in Travel. The Hospitalitylawyer.com-sponsored Global Congress, held in Houston's George P. Brown Convention Center August 25-28, was designed to facilitate safe, secure and uninterrupted travel via an all-encompassing public-privatedialogue dedicated to the sharing of best practices for the global travel, tourism, and hospitality industries. On August 26th Kate participated in "What Have We Learned from Recent Travel Disruptions," a panel discussion held with senior officials from the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, HospitalityLawyer.com, the Professional Convention Management Association, and conTgo, a company that produces mobile travel aid applications. What she learned was that viewpoints differ widely in the travel industry. Kate was your voice in the discussion, as usual. One panel member insisted that the traveling public is mostly interested in problems associated with TSA, not flight delays, while another actually argued with an audience member who said that he felt undervalued as an air traveler. Our Director assured them that while TSA issues are very important to us, delays are the bane of our travel experience, and that we do, overwhelmingly, feel undervalued and harassed. The audience erupted into applause. Saturday, Kate presented to a full house "Traveler Rights: Best Practices in Public Ports When Passengers Are Stranded". She discussed who we are, what we do, and why we do it. The presentation, while humorous and fast-paced, delivered two key messages: Communication, cooperation, and collaboration are conspicuously absent from air travel. Despite years of promises, massive weather problems still create nightmarish passenger situations as airlines, airport managers, and government agencies fail to coordinate their response. Passenger confusion over shifting and inconsistently-applied rules is a major contributor to "travel hell." Hidden fees make fare comparison challenging. Even calling customer service might cost money. We fear arbitrary application of airport security rules-rules that are not published. Flight crews may object to our attire and deny boarding while one airline promotes bikini-clad women on the sides of its airplanes. There is no standard for passenger conduct, and flight crew decisions are final. She told the wide variety of travel buyers, suppliers, and supporters that we are all in this together. Stranded air travelers miss hotel reservations, car rentals, and cruises. Travel is a system, interconnected by the travelers. Hurricane Irene Shatters Air Schedules Weather is the largest single cause of flight cancellations, and last weekend's storm absolutely shattered airline schedules. The effects on the east coast are obvious, but the profound ripple effect vividly demonstrated how fragile our air travel system is. Irene's march up our east coast caused about 13,000 flight cancellations. Thosecancellations were not only at airports directly affected by the storm, but spread throughout the country as flights from other airports found their destinations closed. The domino effect continued as aircraft and crews were not in position for their follow-on segments. Airlines also moved several hundred airplanes out of harm's way, further disrupting resumption of service. While airports are now open, disruptions may continue for several days. If you have travel plans, check your reservation status, and check your flight status frequently as your travel date approaches this week. If you encounter problems you can't solve, contact the FlyersRights Hotline at (877) 359-6776. What Are Your Cancellation Rights? As experienced air travelers know, plans can be interrupted for an astonishing array of reasons. Almost all of those reasons are beyond our control; many of them are beyond the airlines' control, and some would not have occurred if the airlines had been doing their job. So, the answer to the question is "It depends." For any cancellation, you can either request a cash refund or accept a voucher, but the voucher ties you to that airline. The urgency of your travel may help you make that decision. A new booking with the same airline may be easier to come by, and a one-way, short lead time ticket on another airline will almost certainly be very expensive. Interline agreements that once allowed you to take your ticket to any other airline's counter for immediate booking are no longer common. If you can't get an immediate rebooking, you will need lodging and food. Here's where "it depends." If the cancellation was because of a mechanical problem or something else the airline controls (crew availability, for example), then the airline must provide accommodations, usually amounting to a hotel stay and small meal voucher. On the other hand, for uncontrollable circumstances, the short answer is "You're on your own!" No lodging, no food, see you in the morning. The FlyersRights Hotline log is full of member complaints detailing airline insistence that their controllable delays were actually weather-related. Often, the crew first cited mechanical difficulties, and other airline officials shifted to the old "weather defense." If you find your flight cancelled, gather as much information as you can. Use your smartphone to record any cabin announcements regarding delay reasons. Here's a trick-if you're already on board, conspire with a fellow passenger. Have the other person ask for the delay reason while you take a vid of the conversation on your smartphone. Get the names of crew members who speak about the delay reason. FlyersRights Helps Again FlyersRights member Lisa K. had one of "those trips" on Delta last month, and turned to our Hotline (877-359-6776) for help. In the course of that trip, she and her husband experienced three delayed-and then cancelled-flights. When Delta offered neither help nor apology, she turned to us. The first cancellation was for mechanical reasons, and the others were attributed toweather. As we said in the Cancellation Rights article, mechanical reasons are the airlines' fault, just like any other cause they could have prevented, but weather cancellations leave us on our own. Delta focused on the weather cancellations when denying Lisa and her husband any help at all. When Lisa called our Hotline, our Hotline Director, Dr. Joel Smiler, connected her with our Delta contact-their Director of Customer Care. After a brief exchange, Delta provided some compensation and an apology. Here's what Lisa said to Joel: We really appreciate your assistance....I doubt we would have received anything if you hadn't helped us. I was also told that they will use our experience to improve their service...hopefully they will follow through and help future Delta passengers avoid the problems we had. Thanks again....it's a relief to know that an organization like flyers rights is out there to help people deal with these types of situations! We very much appreciate Delta's increasing customer focus. The Hotline is there for you, absolutely free, 24/7. You iPhone users should also check out our iPhone App on the website. Remember, for the very latest in airline passenger rights news, Facebook users can "like" the FlyersRights Fan Page. Also, please check in on our Flyers Rights Education Fund Cause Page.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. "The War Is Not Over" Click here to contribute to FlyersRights.org! www.flyersrights.org Hotline: (877) 359-3776

August Newsletter

No Refund of FAA Taxes

When the FAA was shut down for two weeks by Congressional inaction on the FAA Reauthorization Bill, the agency also lost authorization to collect their normal 7.5% ticket tax, $3.70 tax on each segment of travel, and $16.30 international arrival/departure tax. Although you pay the tax at time of ticket purchase, it is legally only collected at the time the ticket is used. So, if you bought your ticket before July 22 but flew after that date, you were charged taxes that the FAA could not collect.

In our last newsletter, we reported an IRS statement saying that people in that situation might be due a refund. However, the August 10th IRS news release on the issue made it clear that this isn't the case. When Congress passed the FAA Bill Extension on August 8th, they retroactively reinstated the taxes. It's as if the interruption never occurred.

So, there will be no refunds. On the other hand, the IRS has decided that it will not retroactively collect taxes from those of you who bought tickets during the two-week shutdown period.

The House is also considering a bill to pay the 4,000 laid-off FAA workers for their furlough time. However, the tens of thousands of construction workers laid off when FAA construction projects were put on hold are just out of luck.

Remember all those airlines that simply raised their prices to pocket the uncollected taxes? Some airlines returned prices to normal quickly and some were dragging their feet. While we were very disappointed when Southwest participated in this scam, we are glad to note that they were among the first to roll prices back. Almost all domestic carriers are starting the process. As Kate said in the article, we're pleasantly surprised.

Delta and American Redefine Customer Focus

After a period of demonstrable improvement in Delta Airlines' customer focus, the airline has chosen a new definition of the term. As reported by three FlyersRights members, Delta imposed new rules on their frequent flier program that have left our members fuming.

Frequent flier programs are designed to build customer loyalty by rewarding those who spend the most money with the airline. However, we know that most airlines will push the envelope as far as they can when it comes to truly valuing our business.

Effective August 15, Delta's frequent fliers face a 72-hour barrier to changing or cancelling "award" tickets. Travelers needing to change tickets for any reason will simply lose the miles they spent on the trip. Moreover, confirmed upgrades secured through frequent flier miles will cause mileage loss if the upgrade cannot be confirmed on a changed flight.

FlyersRights member Jason K summed it up perfectly when he said:

So we get hit with the change fee to rebook the ticket, lose the upgrade, and they don't refund the miles we used to confirm the upgrade in advance on the original ticket.
Delta has also made the ruling retroactive, so even tickets booked before August 15th are subject to the new policy.

American also displayed an interesting new definition of the term. A traveler bought, through AA.com, a first-class, round-trip ticket from Hong Kong to New York on Cathay Pacific. The customer, an active blogger known as The Points Guy, was amazed to learn that American insisted that he had purchased a coach ticket.

Notified of the error, American offered some re-routing options that The Point Guy found unacceptable, all the while holding onto his $3,700. When he pushed them for recompense, he received no response via phone or e-mail. Logging into his AA account, he was amazed to discover that the ticket was cancelled. As he observed, AA apparently doesn't charge itself cancellation fees, and provides that "service" to its customers free of charge when it suits its purposes.

Customer focus?
Tarmac Delays Up-No DOT Action

USA Today reported that 14 flights spent more than three hours on the tarmac in June, compared to only three in June of 2010. This marks the second month in a row of double-digit extended delays. While the TSA says it issued a couple of warning letters, no fines have been levied to date.

"A rule without teeth is meaningless," says Hanni, executive director of FlyersRights.org. "If (the department) doesn't impose fines, tarmac delays will continue to increase. Airlines are going to push the envelope because they're not scared."

Kate had a great interview with WWL's Garland Robinette last week. She discussed this issue at length, explained the pending DOT rules, and answered call-in questions from listeners. Her wide-ranging comments on everything from baggage fees to tarmac delays to TSA abuses make this radio interview a primer on the full range of airline passenger rights issues.
Another TSA Pilot Program

A new program began last week at Chicago O'Hare Airport. The Known Crewmember program will allow pilots to bypass the TSA strip and grope lines. As we've pointed out many times, pilots are subject to rigorous background checks, and fly the trip in the seats with the aircraft's controls, , so frisking them is just plain silly.

In belated recognition of that obvious truth, TSA officers will now positively identify the identity and employment status of flight crew members and deem that "good enough." At this time, the program is limited to pilots, but the Airline Pilots Association urges the TSA to include flight attendants in the future. FlyersRights supports that suggestion.


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www.flyersrights.org

Landmark Protections for Airline Passengers: Statement of Kate Hanni

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kate Hanni (707) 337-0328

Landmark Protections in new DOT rule for airline Passengers Culminates 4 year Struggle to Achieve Common Sense Measures for Consumers

New “Sustainable” Policy Also Proven to Enhance Operational Performance and Efficiency

Napa, CA 4-19-2011: The promulgation of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) final rule today that will dramatically enhance airline passenger’s rights could not come too soon for air travelers. The new rules represent the most comprehensive guidelines and protections for airline passengers in the history of the DOT.

“These new rules represent a sea change in terms of how airline consumers are treated and how airlines operate—they are the product of relentless grassroots advocacy by everyday people from across the country that make up the Flyers Rights movement” said Kate Hanni, President and Founder of FlyersRights.org. “Today’s victory proves that ordinary people, if energized and organized, can still triumph over powerful corporate interests in Washington D.C.”

“The DOT’s own data proves that Passenger Bill of Rights protections, including the ‘Three Hour Rule’ have actually made airlines more efficient and have not created delays and cancellations as was predicted by the airlines,” added Hanni. “Just as the Three Hour Rule has achieved, today’s rule will pay both immediate and long term dividends to a wider range of flyers while making air travel more accessible, accountable and transparent—thereby promoting the long term financial health of the industry.”

The new rules provide:
• Transparency for unbundled fees so that passengers can make apples to apples comparisons
• Increase the bumping compensation from $400-$800 to $650-$1300
• Refunds of Baggage Fees if your baggage is lost
• Disclosure of Bumping compensation at the Gate to both voluntary and
involuntarily bumped passengers
• International flights must report tarmac delays
• International flights are now included in the tarmac delay rule

The Legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration is close to completion by U.S. Congress. The U.S. House version of this legislation does not contain Passenger Bill of Rights provisions, however the Senate version does. In the coming weeks, the two bodies will work to reconcile their two bills into one final bill, pass it and send it to the President for signature.

“We applaud President Obama, Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt for listening to all the stakeholders, including consumers, and taking the affirmative steps to protect both customers and the long term viability of the industry by making these common sense measures a reality, said Hanni. “Now our focus turns to Congress to ensure the Passenger Bill of Rights is made permanent through legislation.”

FlyersRights.org is the largest non-profit airline passenger’s rights group in the world with 33,000 members Nationwide. Toll free hotline 1-877-359-3776.

Statement of Kate Hanni: Gaping Holes, Thin Skins and FAA oversight

Bear with me as I try to stop my head from spinning plum off my torso from the latest set of events related to Southwest Airlines and their “thin skinned” Boeing 737-300 series aircraft.

Just two weeks ago, FlyersRights.org was reeling from the news that the FAA had secretly allowed the airlines to remove Oxygen Generation Canisters from the lavatories on 6,000 jets. They left the masks intact (the illusion of protection), but removed the oxygen, putting countless numbers of unsuspecting passengers in harm’s way. The FAA responded to critics by saying that mid-air decompression events were “rare” and that no one would be hurt. Really? Mid-air decompression events are far more prevalent then terrorist even, and I’m only talking about the decompression events that actually get reported to the FAA. Many more go unreported to avoid further scrutiny and possible grounding of an airline’s fleet.

Just last Friday (April Fool’s Day) , I awaken to the news that American Airlines flight 547 had a mid-air decompression where the oxygen masks were “manually” deployed (not sure if that means they failed to automatically deploy.. or not) but passengers and flight attendants passed out because of an apparent lack of oxygen coming through some of the masks. (See this Wikipedia table related to Time of Useful Consciousness). Then, just a few short hours later, Southwest Airlines flight 812 has a gaping hole 5’ long by 1’ wide that opens up in the roof at 34,000 feet, which causes a sudden explosive decompression and they divert to Yuma for an emergency landing. The passengers sit in 100 degree heat for several hours (for their safety) while awaiting another aircraft to take them to Sacramento.

This has to be an April Fool’s Day joke, she says…still blonde…and still hoping!

Visions of the airline groundings and cancellations disaster of early 2008 come rushing back, the horror of our hotline ringing off the hook with stranded passengers whose Southwest Airlines Flights had been cancelled due to thin skins and cracks in the fuselage, followed quickly by tens of thousands of American Airlines passengers whose flights were cancelled due to wire bundling issues. In both cases, flights were cancelled as a pre-emptive move to avoid further FAA scrutiny and get ahead of a problem they had “misrepresented” to the FAA.

But when the FAA did send out an “impromptu” investigator to see if the cracks and wire bundles were fixed as stated by the airlines, they discovered that indeed they were NOT. Interestingly enough, they can fine an airline for missing security checks, but there is NO mandate that the airlines report these fundamental safety issues. Are you concerned? We are…

Were it not for concerns over the safety of Southwest planes that were brought to light by FAA whistleblowers, who took the information to Congress, no one would have known that they missed their safety/security checks. But employees of the airlines who are tasked with making these checks don’t have whistleblower protections. And they should!

The FAA did fine Southwest Airlines 10 million dollars for “flying past their mandatory security checks” of which $7.5 million was paid. Once the checks were complete, Southwest reported that “no faults in the aircraft skin were found and all aircraft are still safe…don’t put your tickets on e-bay yet,” according to Grant Martin of gadling.com.

But hold on, July 13, 2009, Southwest flight 2294 en route from Nashville Tennessee to Baltimore had a basketball sized hole in the fuselage, full decompression and emergency landing…hmmmmmmmm.

Coincidence?

You see, the FAA has a “Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Program” which is just an Advisory Circular that suggests self-policing that neither requires the airlines to inspect certain safety items nor to report any of these vital, structural safety issues. If they detect these cracks during their routine maintenance (for which there is no impetus--in fact it’s counter-intuitive to their culture given that the results could include FAA grounding their fleet for them). Also by leaving the airlines to inspect these critical safety issues, but offering no whistleblower protections to their employees, employees are unmotivated--in fact often dis-incentivized--to report things that might cost the airline money or ground a fleet of aircraft, because they have no whistleblower protections (we’ll get to the solution for this in a minute).

But let’s back up to the oxygen issue for a minute. Is the fox guarding the henhouse here, too? Could it be that the airlines are under the “Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Program” when it comes to the testing of the equipment inside the aircraft, such as vital oxygen during a decompression event? At the altitude that both the American Airlines jet and Southwest jet were, there was 30-60 seconds of useful consciousness without ambient oxygen. In the case of Southwest flight 812 it took them 4 and ½ minutes to get down to an altitude where folks could breathe…OMG! Is anyone hyperventilating here?

Get me an air sickness bag!

We don’t know if any poor stiffs (I mean souls) were in the lavatories when all of this happened, but it’s not hard to see how they might have been. And although the airlines will tell you that they have hand held oxygen canisters for medical events to be used by Flight Attendants for our safety in a medical emergency, we have several reports of incidents where in an emergency some poor unsuspecting flight attendant reached for a hand-held oxygen canister and it was EMPTY…although we really shouldn’t worry about that because in both the American Airlines and Southwest cases of last Friday at least one flight attendant passed out DUE TO A LACK OF OXYGEN.

Where is the accountability? Who’s guarding our lives, our safety, our ability to trust that the FAA has us in mind when they devise a scheme that allows the airlines to do their own safety checks? Whose idea was it to have the poor airline inspectors NOT have whistleblower protections? Why not swear in each of the airlines’ key safety/security inspectors as officers of the FAA to afford them appropriate whistleblower protections?

What Congressman James Oberstar called the “Culture of Coziness” between the FAA and the airlines has GOT TO STOP. For you, for me, and for the future of air travel in the domestic US.

Tarmac rule worked as planned: Secretary Ray LaHood op-ed

Tarmac rule worked as planned
Published: Monday, March 14, 2011, 6:16 AM
By Star-Ledger Guest Columnist The Star-Ledger


Andrew Harrer/BloombergU.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood
By Ray La Hood
The Star-Ledger’s editorial on the Department of Transportation’s rule prohibiting airline tarmac delays to no more than three hours (“Grounded without recourse: FAA must fix tarmac rule so fliers aren’t stranded by unexpected cancellations,” March 9) seriously overstates the rule’s impact on flight cancellations.

Since the new rule took effect in late April 2010, unreasonably long tarmac delays — sometimes leaving travelers stranded aboard aircraft without access to food, water or working lavatories for hours on end — have virtually disappeared. Between May 2010 and January 2011, the first full nine months since the rule took effect, the airlines reported only 16 flights stranded on the tarmac for more than three hours, compared to 604 during the same period the previous year. Most of those delays were barely over three hours, while many of the long tarmac delays of the past often stretched to four or five hours — or more.

This achievement in protecting airline passengers has not brought with it the “surge” of cancellations claimed by The Star-Ledger’s editorial. Looking at flights canceled after a two-hour tarmac delay — those most likely to be canceled to avoid violating the rule — we see that in the first full nine months since the rule went into effect, carriers canceled 312 flights after tarmac delays of more than two hours, compared with 268 such cancellations between May 2009 and January 2010.

When you consider that there are 8.7 million domestic flights in any given year, an increase of 44 cancellations is hardly significant — particularly given the snowstorms that caused many cancellations across the United States in December and January. It is quite possible that when a full year’s statistics are evaluated, they will show no notable increase from the previous year.

We also have looked into whether carriers might be canceling flights before a two-hour tarmac delay — or even before leaving the gate — due to concerns that weather, congestion, closed runways or other factors might cause a lengthy ground delay. We looked at airports that experienced more than one two-hour tarmac delay between May and October in both 2010 and 2009, taking into account all cancellations that might have been related to tarmac delay concerns. We found there were 7,120 of these proactive cancellations in the first six months after the rule took effect in 2010, compared to 8,696 flights during the same months of 2009 — before our tarmac rule existed.

We believe airline passengers have fundamental rights to fair treatment when they fly. Our tarmac delay rule has resulted in a massive drop-off in the kinds of unconscionable and intolerable extended tarmac delays that left people stranded for hours, without recourse and without good information on when their ordeals would end. And, we have done so without causing the widespread cancellations that airlines and others have insisted would follow.

The Obama administration is proud of its efforts to protect airline passengers and will continue to ensure consumers are treated fairly.
Ray LaHood is the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

To Fee or Not to FEE! To Fly or Not to Fly...

Airlines took in some $22 billion in add-on fees (checked baggage, meals, ticket changes, etc.) last year. Naturally, they are considering other services where fees might apply. A few are actually being considered.

Reservations: online, $5; talk to real person on phone, $10; bad weather cancellation insurance, $15; tarmac delay exit via chute fee, $25; guaranteed reservation, $15; order a champagne meal, $25.

Seat choice: wider (four inches) seat zone, $50; aisle, $15; window, $20; reclining seat, $20 (activated by cabin attendant); quiet zone (no talking allowed) fee, $25; front of the plane coach seating, $15; seat next to your children fee, $5 per child.
Airport check-in: automated, $5; talk to real agent, $10; concourse moving walkway or escalator pass, $10; individual motorized wheelchair available to anyone, $15 (standard wheelchair use remains free); carry-on baggage bin fee, $10 (items fitting under the seat in front of you are free); body mass index (BMI) fee, rising scale $10-$50 (all passengers required to show official current BMI measurement card); purchase bag of coin tokens for on-board use (see below), $10.

Security: go to head of the line fee, $25; full body pat down by TSA person of choice (from daily roster photos posted at metal detector), $20; watch full body scans of other passengers fee, $100.

Boarding: Get on the plane first (limited to 100 passengers) fee, $30.
On board: bag of tokens for coin operated TV, bathroom access including extra toilet paper, vomit bag release, and high or slow speed wi-fi access, $10; use of on-board library (no carry-on reading materials allowed) fee, $10; cabin attendant attention (get served first with a smile) card fee, $15; change of seat (if available) option, $15; drop down oxygen (ensures breathing apparatus works) fee, $50; safe landing fee (basically for the pilots, like the tip jar at Starbucks,) suggested $50.

Destination arrival: get off the plane first (seat belt lock release activated by cabin attendant) fee, $15; luggage carousel fee, $10; first off luggage fee, $10.

With all the new fees, the actual airfare may become a minor consideration; to fee or not to fee, or to fly or not to fly.

FAA Secretly Removes live saving Oxygen Generators from Airline Lavatories...But they Leave the Masks!

FAA secretly removes airline lavatory oxygen generators, flying public put in harms way...again!

Is this actually TRUE, I asked myself, so I asked Mr. Bing. It’s AD 2011-04-09 (We will post the Directive shortly) says, in part,

The AD requires either activating all chemical oxygen generators in the lavatories until the generator oxygen supply is expended, or removing the oxygen generator(s); and, for each chemical oxygen generator, after the generator is expended (or removed), removing or re-stowing the oxygen masks and closing the mask dispenser
door.

So, take out the O2 source, but put the mask back, shut the access door, and walk away, quietly. They say, in effect, “Not to worry, the odds are low.” The odds of requiring oxygen on an airliner are low, unless the situation actually arises. Then, the odds of needing oxygen are exactly the same at every point inside the aircraft. That’s because the time of useful consciousness—the time during which you can still help yourself—drops drastically as altitude rises. Here’s the data on that:

OK, so droning IAD to SFO at 35,000 ft (flight level 350), your TUC is 30 to 60 seconds. In that time, you must find a source of O2, or you will pass out. Period, non-negotiable. In the time approaching the limit, “useful” becomes a less and less relevant term. That is, you may be theoreticially capable of strapping on a mask 30 seconds into the event at FL350, but your mileage may vary with age and physical condition.

So, the FAA is calculating, in fact, that there WILL NOT BE A DECOMPRESSION. If that’s so, then heck, let’s take all the O2 systems out of aircraft. Think of the weight and fuel savings!! Neat!

As Winter Storms pound Chicago and New England, FlyersRights.org is here to help!

At O’Hare, where more than 1,300 flights were canceled Tuesday, most airlines have indicated little or no flights will operate Wednesday.

Despite the canceled flights, both O’Hare and Midway International Airports remain open, according to the aviation department.

Travelers are advised to check their airlines’ websites for flight status before hearing to the airports. For flights that are able to depart, passengers are encouraged to arrive early at the airport -- at least two hours before flight time, the release said.

Many airlines are offering re-accomodations at no extra charge when winter storms threaten to cancel flights, so check the airlines website or call FlyersRights.org for help at (877) 359-3776.