If you are a frequent traveler, you have probably noticed that flight delays, especially delays involving sitting for hours on the tarmac waiting for a flight to take off or land, have become much more frequent. Due to customer complaints and lack of responsibility from the airlines to address consumer concerns, the Department of Transportation, DOT, passed a regulation called "Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections." Starting April 29, 2010, all airlines must comply with the rules for delayed flights specified in this regulation or pay penalties of up to $27,500 per passenger.
A tarmac delay begins once the flight attendant closes the door, allowing no passengers to disembark the plane.
Passengers must be served a snack and water if they are stranded on the tarmac for two hours. According to DOT regulations, a full meal is not required, but the snack must be a substantial portion. For example, a granola bar and a full 12 to 16 oz. serving of water is acceptable.
You cannot be stranded on the tarmac for hours in a plane without a working bathroom. The airline must also provide operational lavatory equipment during the tarmac delay.
You cannot feel ill and be denied medical assistance during a tarmac delay.The airline must provide medical personnel access to any tarmac delayed flight, and must have a plan for dealing with medical emergencies.
If a flight is sitting on the tarmac for three hours, the airliner must return to the gate to give you the option of leaving the plane and booking another flight.
The airline has the responsibility to honor it's contract with you. Depending on the airline, this may include paying for you to stay overnight in a hotel if they cancel your connecting flight and cannot rebook you on another flight until the next day, providing you with food and drink vouchers, and booking you on another airline so you can arrive at your destination with minimal delay.
For delays during taxi-in to the gate after landing, airlines must compensate you, usually in the form of discount travel certificates, if you are stuck on the tarmac for 90 minutes or longer.
Many airlines have constantly late flights. You arrive to the airport on time for your flight, when the airline knows that 90 percent of the time the flight departs an hour later, causing you to waste your time sitting in the airport.
According to DOT regulations, airlines can no longer schedule flights that they know will not take-off on time. If a plane typically takes-off an hour late each day, the airline must reschedule that flight for an hour later.
No more guessing if the airline is delaying your flight. Airlines must post on their websites when they learn of a flight delay, giving you time to rebook the flight or arrive at the airport a little later than usual.
