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According to the Official Blog of the US Secretary of Transportation (yes, there is an official blog), aviation Enforcement Office sets precedent with Flight 2816 tarmac-delay fines.
On August 8th passengers were stuck in a plane on the ground in Rochester, Minnesota for almost six hours.
There was much finger-pointing as to who was at fault, but the bottom line, apparently, was that the kids didn't play nicely together and they all were punished.
Said Ray LaHood, Secretary: I hope this sends a signal to the rest of the airline industry that we expect airlines to respect the rights of air travelers.
The Aviation Enforcement Office (AEO) fined Continental Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines $100,000 for their roles in keeping passengers on board Continental Express flight 2816 overnight at Rochester International Airport on August 8, 2009.
Continental will also provide a full refund to each passenger and also offer passengers additional compensation to materially acknowledge their discomfort.
We also fined Mesaba Airlines $75,000. Mesaba provided ground handling for the flight.
The Secretary echoes the feelings of all passengers when he said: Look, this is just no way to treat passengers, customers, or anyone. You can't strand people overnight without access to the basics. It's not right; it's against the rules; and I am proud of the Department's Aviation Enforcement Office for its investigation into the complaints of these travelers and for its responsiveness.
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Comments
This has to warm the cockles of the hearts of anyone whose basic rights to reasonable comfort have been ignored. Thanks especially for the link to the Secretary of Transportation's blog. Do I have opinions about Homeland Securities procedures to share!
Oops, I KNOW better! That should have been "Homeland Security's" procedures. I'm gonna blame chubby fingers!
Jay, I've made some stupendous typos - can't think of anyone who hasn't. Years ago when I was editor of a newsletter the rule was, after something went to print, we never looked at it again. Seeing those typos just ruined our day.
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