Airline delays drop in U.S. due to new aviation rule

The new aviation consumer protection rule that took effect on April 29 in the United States has drastically decreased tarmac delays of airlines in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

Under the new rule, U.S. airlines operating domestic flights may not permit an aircraft to remain on the tarmac at large and medium hub airports for more than three hours without deplaning passengers, with exceptions allowed only for safety or security reasons or if air traffic control advises the pilot in command that returning to the terminal would disrupt airport operations.

U.S. carriers operating international flights departing from or arriving in the United States must specify, in advance, their own time limits for deplaning passengers, with the same exceptions applicable.

Carriers are required to provide adequate food and potable drinking water for passengers within two hours of the aircraft being delayed on the tarmac and to maintain operable lavatories and, if necessary, provide medical attention.

What really scares airlines is that those who do not comply with the new rule face civil penalties of up to 27,500 dollars per passenger. Although the penalties are not to be paid to the passengers but to the U.S. government, airlines can not risk the danger to be fined.

Consumer complaints of prolonged airline delays prompted the U. S. Department of Transportation to take action.

In late 2006 and early 2007, American Airline and JetBlue Airways kept planes on the ground for as long as 10.5 hours, fueling passenger protests.

Even before the new rule took effect, the U.S. Department of Transportation began to punish airlines that had prolonged airline delays. Continental and two regional partners were fined 175,000 dollars in November last year for holding 47 customers on a plane overnight at Rochester, Minnesota. The fine could have been as much as 1.29 million dollars under the new regulation.

The new rule has been proved effective. Airline flights stuck on tarmacs for more than three hours fell to three in June, the second month of the rule in force, from 268 a year ago. Also, no airlines sat on the runways for more than four hours in the same period, while last year it was 42, according to a Department of Transportation report.

According to the DOT, 76.4 percent of domestic flights arrived on time in June, or within 15 minutes of schedule. That's better than the 76.1 percent in June 2009, but down from May 2010's 79.9 percent.

Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines and US Airways are listed as having the highest on-time rates.

Bill Moslay from the DOT's public affairs office told Xinhua in a recent telephone interview that larger airlines have to report any delays to the Department, which will publish airline delays every month.

He said the new rule has been proved effective by reducing airline delays.

Moslay said many factors have caused airline delays. Weather is the single major factor. General congestion in the airport, maintenance and mechanical problems were also often seen as the factors. Some delays were caused by the lack of crew.

He said security check at airports only causes minor delays.

Airlines and airports in the United States have their own plans to reduce delays, although they are unhappy with the new regulation. Many airlines have stocked up on bottled water and pretzels at some airports. Some have deployed new buses, vans and "drive-by gates" to quickly unload passengers who want to get off long-delayed flights.

Continental Airlines Inc., for example, has set up areas to unload passengers at hub airports so it won't need to send flights back to gates.

In Newark, New Jersey, the airline has set up an area on the north side of the airport where planes can taxi and park and ground workers can stage "rescue missions," according to local media reports.

With stairs rolling up and vans and trucks driving up to transport passengers back to terminals, Continental Airline can service 14 aircraft in an area it has set up at the airport.

To avoid the three-hour limit, Continental has an alarm system to alert officials when a plane sits for 90 minutes.

Some airports have made preparations to better handle stranded flights. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has purchased more than 800,000 dollars worth of equipment to help airlines comply with the new tarmac-delay rule.

The airport has covered staircases for planes and a giant bus capable of carrying 100 passengers to unload passengers to the terminals.

However, the airline industry is downplaying the rule's effect.

"Flight delays and cancellations vary significantly from month to month as a result of variables, including weather and airspace congestion," says a statement from the Air Transport Association, an airline trade group.

"Under all conditions, airlines continue to work to provide the best possible customer service, and will continue to fully comply with the new tarmac-delay rule," the statement adds.

Source: Xinhua (by George Bao)