Passengers’ Bill Of Rights Proposed In Senate

by Jonathon Morgan on

In response to recent incidents in Texas and New York where passengers were made to wait on grounded planes for up to 11 hours, Senator Barbara Boxer is proposing a “Passengers Bill of Rights.” The bill would give passengers the right to deplane if their aircraft sits on the ground for more than three hours past the scheduled departure time.

In addition, Boxer intends for the bill to include provisions allowing passengers access to food, water and hygiene. Currently, airlines operate under a voluntary code of conduct, which stipulates only that they make “reasonable efforts” to meet these needs, even in the event of extreme delays.

A spokesman for the Air Transport Association countered by warning that “inflexible standards that would be imposed through some sort of mandatory legislation could easily have the unintended effect of inconveniencing customers more in some situations.”

For information on a grassroots effort in support of the bill, visit the Coalition for an Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights blog.

How To Stop A Hijacker

by Jonathon Morgan on

Shortly after an Air Mauritania flight took off on Thursday evening, it was hijacked by a gunman. But thanks to a rough landing, forewarned passengers were able douse the hijacker in boiling water, tackle, and restrain him.

The turning point came when the pilot realized the gunman, Mohamed Abderraman, didn’t speak French. Using the plane’s public address system, the pilot then alerted the passengers — in French — to his plan to take the plane down hard. After warning women and children to move to the back of the plane, the pilot broke abruptly upon landing, then quickly sped up — throwing Abderraman off-balance, and giving the passengers the chance they’d been waiting for.

Abderraman wasn’t a terrorist, but instead wanted the plane to fly to France so he could request political asylum. Upon arriving at Gando airport outside Las Palmas — the plane’s original destination — he was arrested by Spanish police.

That’s one quick-thinking pilot, and a plane full of heroic passengers.

How the Market Saw JetBlue’s Flight Delays

by Dave Luna on

Robert Barry, an analyst for Goldman Sachs, predicted that JetBlue Airways’ “profit margin growth will likely surpass most other airlines in 2007.” This prediction came in a report released on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the report didn’t predict the snow and ice delays that would strand numerous passengers on ten JetBlue flights at JFK Airport that very same day.

The company grounded these planes with passengers aboard in case the conditions cleared up enough to allow for take off. The weather didn’t relent, so JetBlue released their captive customers after many hours of waiting. Some of these unlucky travelers were stuck aboard a JetBlue plane for eleven hours. I hope the Fasten Seat Belts sign wasn’t on the entire time.

Stories of the fiasco made their way to the press, but the negative publicity did not harm JetBlue’s stock price as Barry guessed. In fact, shares went up 4.7% that afternoon. An aviation consultant noted that the shares didn’t drop because investors weren’t aboard the flights. He added that consumers would soon forget the debacle, and JetBlue’s low fares would eventually overshadow the event.

Squirrel On A Plane

by Willy Volk on

Earlier today, pilots aboard an American Airlines flight traveling from Tokyo to Dallas heard unusual noises coming from the wires above the cockpit. According to John Hotard, AA’s spokesman, “You do not want a varmint up in the wiring areas and what-have-you on an airplane. You don’t want anything up there.” Unsure what kind of varmint might be up in the what-have-you, the pilots decided to stop in Honolulu to investigate.

The varmint turned out to be an eastern gray squirrel. Neither AA nor the Agriculture Department can explain how the squirrel accessed the plane, though I’m suspicious it might have something to do with TSA’s less than watchful eye.

In the end, the human passengers were provided hotel rooms and rebooked on other flights. The squirrel enjoyed a far less pleasant Hawaii visit, however. Fearing it may have been carrying rabies, authorities had the rodent killed.

[Photo: Terry Lea]

Fly With Your Bird

by Justin Glow on

“One of the safest, most convenient and lately most economical modes of transportation when traveling long distances to bird shows, is to fly on commercial airlines,” says this guide to successful air travel with your bird. What the guide fails to mention, however, is that while both convenient and economical, commercial air travel with your bird is also a sure-fire way to piss off every other passenger on the plane! Forget the crying kid, someone strangle that bird.

Before I get bombarded by bird-loving hate mail, let me clear things up: I’m not anti-bird on a plane. No no, it’s not just birds — I’m an equal opportunity hater: dogs, cats, drunk humans, whatever. Infants I’m okay with. While a crying kid may be annoying, I have sympathy for the parents who at least try to quiet their baby. But kids cry, that’s what they do. And they’re usually pretty cute to boot.

Anyway, where was I?

First thing is first when attempting to fly with your bird: find an airline that will allow it. Currently Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and and Frontier Airlines do not allow birds on their planes. Golf clap for them. Alaskan Airlines, on the other hand, will allow up to five birds in the main cabin. Five. I can’t even begin to imagine how happy I would be if I was seated next to five birds on my next flight. Elated.

If you do need to travel with your bird, I understand. Maybe you’re taking it to a bird show, or your an exotic bird salesperson who makes home deliveries — whatever. But if you’re planning on taking a bird on a plane, read over the guides below — not only will they help make the flight as smooth as possible for you and your bird, but also for fellow passengers.