What Should You Do if You’re Stranded on the Tarmac? Part 1
In part 1, we’ll cover your airline passenger rights. In part 2 of this series, we’ll learn a few things we can do to prepare before we fly.
In August, Continental Airlines flight 2816 stranded passengers on the tarmac for 6 hours. A couple weeks after that, passengers on Sun Country flight 242 also sat on the ground for a grueling 6 hours.
These aren’t isolated incidents. In 1999, Northwest Airlines left passengers stranded on a plane for 8 hours. In 2006, an American Airlines flight was stranded for 8 hours. JetBlue held passengers on the tarmac for 11 hours in 2007. In many of these instances, passengers were basically held hostage with no food or water and in some cases, had restricted use of the airplane bathrooms.
The information below describes what you can do should you be on a flight that is stranded on the tarmac.
Your Rights
As a result of long delays years ago, the Air Transport Association (includes Delta, United, Continental, Southwest and others) released a Customer Service Plan that states airlines will do the following:
- Notify passengers of known flight delays and cancellations
- Meet customers’ essential needs during long on-aircraft delays
- Allow reservations to be held or tickets to be refunded within 24 hours of purchase
- Be more responsive to customer complaints
Visit the Department of Transportion’s web site for links to specific airlines’ Customer Service Plans. If the airline you’re flying on isn’t listed on that website, you may be able to find a customer’s bill of rights on the corporate website. For instance, JetBlue offers a Customer Bill of Rights on its website.
Contributed by Michael Zimmerman
Direct: 808-457-9683
Michael@Michael-Zimmerman.com
www.Michael-Zimmerman.com
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