NYT: A Win For Airline Passengers(?)
21 Dec 02009, 2pmUPDATE:
As I suspected, those with more knowledge of the inner-workings of the air traffic system have come out with a laundry list of examples of why this is actually a bad idea.
The New York Times is reporting the Transportation Dept. has announced new rules penalizing airlines that keep passengers waiting on the tarmac for more than 3 hours.
The new rule also:
• Prohibits airlines from scheduling chronically delayed flights, subjecting those who do to DOT enforcement action for unfair and deceptive practices;
• Requires airlines to designate an airline employee to monitor the effects of flight delays and cancellations, respond in a timely and substantive fashion to consumer complaints and provide information to consumers on where to file complaints;
• Requires airlines to display on their website flight delay information for each domestic flight they operate;
• Requires airlines to adopt customer service plans and audit their own compliance with their plans;
• Prohibits airlines from retroactively applying material changes to their contracts of carriage that could have a negative impact on consumers who already have purchased tickets.
All that remains to be seen are the sure-to-come-about unforeseen side effects of these new regulations.