How serious is the United States Department of Transportation about enforcing new regulations regarding tarmac delays? If what just happened with American Eagle is any indication, very serious indeed.
DOT just hit Eagle with $900,000 in penalties for lengthy delays at Chicago O’Hare back on May 29, 2011. The move marks the first time the government has fined an airline for violation of its new rules. Those regs, which went in effect in April 2010, set a three-hour time limit for tarmac delays on domestic flights.
“We put the tarmac rule in place to protect passengers and we take any violation very seriously,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a prepared statement. “We will work to ensure that airlines and airports coordinate their resources and plans to avoid keeping passengers delayed on the tarmac.”
DOT says 15 American Eagle flights racked up tarmac delays of up to 225 minutes, affecting 608 passengers on board the aircraft. Fog and thunderstorms hit O’Hare that day, and the airline days it had procedure in place to get passengers back to the gate. Problem is DOT says, “the carrier was late in implementing its procedure, resulting in violations of the rule.”
American Eagle says it has reworked that procedure since the incident.
Passengers will be getting a share of that $900,000 fine. DOT says up to a quarter-of-million dollars “can be credited for refunds, vouchers, and frequent flyer mile awards to passengers on the 15 flights…as well as to passengers on future flights that experience lengthy tarmac delays of less than three hours.”
Do you think a government crackdown will make airlines tow the line on the tarmac rule? Do regulations actually make a difference? Tell us what you think.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: VilleHoo)
