First of all you need to get your scoop straight. There is no time limit in the PBOR. I'm the founder fighting like mad with Congress to get time limits. But if you read the Senate Legislation it calls for the airlines to present a plan for deplanement. Only in absence of that plan will a 3 hour limit apply. And there are two 30 minute extensions for the pilot after that 3 hour period to say he thinks there is a reasonable chance to take off. I don't like it, no one likes it, but it's what we could get. I've been flying back and forth to DC on my own dime mostly to fight this, even though we have 16000 people in our Coalition and 52 million people in Consumer Groups who want this. Your chance of dying from fatal DVT doubles after 4 hours of sitting in one position. What my family witnessed the night of Dec. 29th no one should see on an aircraft, especially in the United States.

I'm only doing the best I can to get meaningful legislation and fighting hard for it. Little help folks? If it matters to you stop blogging and start calling your Congressman. We started a hotline, for free, 877-flyers6. We help people stuck on planes and who's luggage has been lost. WE help anyone who calls with an airline issue and ask for nothing in return.

I hope you get how hard this is and if you ever get trapped and have the powerless feeling we had, you will understand why this cause is important.

Kate Hanni
CAPBOR
Founder
flyersrights.com

As some one who has spent more than a few hours sitting on the tarmac venting enough steam to put a froth on everyones latte while waiting for the voice from the overhead bin to tell me the latest lie/excuse as to what the hold up may be (as it the reason for the "delay" is directly linked to the length of the delay). I to am just cynical enough to wonder if our governments answer to immigration law is a 2200 mile long fence, and a National Health Plan is a decrase in Medicare funding, can we really expect any meaningful regulation to come of this. Trust me I'm with you on this but the answer lies with the consumer and not longer runways......

I do a good mixture of domestic and international travel. I think part of the problem lies with the in-experienced and/or rude travelers. For example, why does it take 40 minutes to load a 737 at O'Hare when at Frankfurt (Germany) the very same size and capacity plane arrives, de-boards, boards and departs in the same amount of time (and all according to the published schedule)? Just last night, the back half of the plane had to wait while a man who apparently thought this was his personnel limousine service blocked the aisle (for what seemed forever) while rounding up his 4 carry on packages that were distributed in 3 different overhead compartments.

It is kind of like the current border protection problems. Enforce the rules and reward the customers that do while 'punishing' those that do not. Once this is achieved, it would become easier to justify a return to a gate knowing the plane could depart quickly the moment weather or other conditions improve.

Perhaps it is America's lack of railroad use that has contributed to the problem. In Europe and other places where large scale public transportation is more common, even young children know that one must get onboard quickly and kindly less they be let behind by the train which must run on schedule!

From the perspective of the seasoned travelers, the Bill of Rights should protect us from the combination of factors that make us wait out the passing storm on the tarmac rather than the gate.

I'm all for passengers getting better treatment, but so much of the complaints are situational and solutions may vary...I think it would be tough to regulate.

In general, I feel that service is lacking, but I don't think that the airlines are malicious...I think that the employees are under a GREAT deal of stress due to security and regulations and because of this, they may be inclined to forget that passengers are actually customers.

I'm not just talking about delays, either...often, even the simplest request being met politely would be enough to make a delay more tolerable. When you're met with a flight attendant who is irritable or even rude about something as simple as providing a glass of water, it's hard to give that attendant a break when he or she wants you to wait patiently while a flight is delayed or even cancelled.

While it's wonderful to have a group/groups advocating better treatment, the best way to force the issue is to only fly on airlines where you receive good service. Tell others about your good and bad experiences and recommend they fly on the airlines that treat you well. I don't go into stores or do business with companies that do not provide good service. I look at airlines the same way, even if I have to fly at a less convenient time on another airline to get where I need to go. I know this could be a problem in areas that are limited and don't have a wide variety of airlines to choose from, but in bigger cities, we can help set the standard by not giving business to airlines that aren't up to snuff.

I'm going to apologize because I already know I'm going to get off topic of the question. The issue of the PBR is not any different from any other issue before our federal legislators today. If it doesn't make EVERYONE happy then it's not going to be created.

Tom's point is well taken, the art of compromise is key to the entire discussion and the fact laws make black and white rules and do not create a format for give and take creates an unweildy solution to the problem. The airlines and airports are in this to make money. Passengers are in it to get from home to where ever in an economical, comfortable manner. Cancelling a plane costs money with no means of recuperating the majority of that loss.

I mentioned the airports earlier as part of the overall situation. If the airports (i.e., flight control) were corrected (yes, I mean fixed) with up to date technology then not only could the airlines be flying safer but also more efficiently. Queueing techniques implemented in the software could be utilized along with the rules for safe distances between aircraft.

Out govenment is unwilling to spend the money required in the areas it needs to but would rather make consituents happy with the latest local earmark. Meanwhile everyone points the finger at somebody else concerning this delapidated system we call air travel.

I warned you I would be off-topic.

Thank you,
Craig Mettlach