An American Lion

Hey, don’t look now—but there’s a travesty happening at a snowbound airport near you:

Katie Maher told 11 News that her Air Jamaica flight was supposed to leave at 7 a.m. and land in Jamaica at 10:15 a.m. She told 11 News reporter Lowell Melser that she didn’t get off the plane until 3:30 p.m.

Maher said passengers were told the plane was “stuck.” She said the plane couldn’t be moved and that de-icing efforts had failed.

“We’ve had no food, no beverages, the person on the plane keeps telling us, ‘20 minutes.’ It’s only been in the past half-hour that they have started to tell us we are stuck,” she said in a phone call to 11 News during the noon hour.

A BWI spokesman said the flight pushed back from the gate at about 8:35 a.m. “At approximately 9:20 a.m., as aircraft moved to taxi from de-ice pad to runway, the aircraft moved to very edge of pavement, leaving no room to turn or maneuver,” according to a written statement from BWI.

Air Jamaica worked with a ground handler in an attempt to move the aircraft in the middle of the intense snow, but the equipment couldn’t gain enough traction to move the plane, BWI said.

BWI employees then provided plows, deicing chemicals, sand and other equipment and materials to assist the airline in moving the aircraft. A total of 148 passengers were on board.

“At approximately 12:10 p.m., the aircraft was able to be re-positioned and moved,” the BWI release said. “The aircraft’s windshield had to be de-iced at that point to allow the pilot to see.”

Two feet from the gate, the plane got stuck again at an angle in which workers couldn’t get the passenger bridge to the plane, Melser reported.

The plane was finally pulled back to the gate, but passengers couldn’t immediately get off, Maher said.

“There was absolutely no communication whatsoever,” she said. She said people getting off the plane were given a voucher for Subway, told the tickets wouldn’t be reimbursed and were never offered food or drinks.

Air Jamaica has a fairly solid reputation, I guess:

The World Travel Awards, held recently in London has again named Air Jamaica “The Caribbean’s Leading Airline”.   This is the 12th consecutive year that the airline has snagged this honor.

“Air Jamaica is honored to have received this prestigious award, yet again. This recognition from our peers is an important affirmation that we are providing the very best service to travellers to the Caribbean,” said Bruce Nobles, Air Jamaica’s President and CEO. “It also encourages us to work doubly hard to exceed expectations next year.”

Estabished in 1993, the World Travel Awards were created to acknowledge achievements in all sector of the global travel industry.

Unbelievable, right? Well, it’s certainly not uncommon for heavy snow to cause a plane to be stuck on the tarmac, especially one full of passengers. I cannot understand the absolute lack of common sense, though. If a few hours goes by, empty the plane and wait until it is ready. How hard is that?

But, don’t fret. There’s an Airline Passenger Bill of Rights that is working its way through Congress!

1/12/2009—Introduced.Airline Passenger Bill of Rights Act of 2009 - Requires each air carrier and airport operator to submit for approval by the Secretary of Transportation a proposed contingency plan meeting minimum standards established by the Secretary. Requires an air carrier to provide passengers on a departure- or arrival-delayed grounded aircraft with:
(1) adequate food, water, restrooms, ventilation, and medical services; as well as
(2) a time frame under which passengers may deplane a delayed aircraft after three hours, except in specified circumstances. Requires an airport operator plan to describe:
(1) how passengers will be deplaned following a long tarmac delay; and
(2)how facilities will be shared and gates made available to aircraft that experience such delays. Authorizes the Secretary to assess a civil penalty against air carriers and airport operators that fail to submit, obtain approval of, or adhere to a contingency plan. Requires public access to such plans. Directs the Secretary to establish a consumer hotline telephone number for air passenger complaints.

Does that say anything about excluding an international operator like Air Jamaica? I would think that that airline would have to comply with U.S. regulations. If I’m reading it right, the legislation puts it on the airport operator, not necessarily the airline. Senator Barbara Boxer talked about this in September, but I don’t see any evidence that the bill has gone forward.

The Senate Sponsors are:

Senator Barbara Boxer D-CA

View Co-Sponsors (12)Hide Co-Sponsors  

• Sen. Maria Cantwell [D, WA]
• Sen. Russell Feingold [D, WI]
• Sen. John Kerry [D, MA]
• Sen. Amy Klobuchar [D, MN]
• Sen. Mary Landrieu [D, LA]
• Sen. Frank Lautenberg [D, NJ]
• Sen. Robert Menéndez [D, NJ]
• Sen. Jeff Merkley [D, OR]
• Sen. Bill Nelson [D, FL]
• Sen. Charles Schumer [D, NY]
• Sen. Jeanne Shaheen [D, NH]
• Sen. Olympia Snowe [R, ME]

The only problem is, it has been read twice in the Senate Committee, and then…

Nothing. [If I’m wrong, please tell me, because I can’t find anything, and Mr. Peej is usually pretty good at debunking me on these things]

No updates. Nada. There’s a House version, but that didn’t get past the January introduction. It would appear to me that these bills were introduced in that initial mad flush of puppy love that the people had for the new Congress and the new administration, and then promptly forgotten.

I’ve sent Senator Boxer a Tweet. Oh, it’s not what you think. She’s a lovely lady, and I respect her a great deal. She is a very capable legislator and I’m certain that there’s some version of this bill that is going to be reintroduced or updated soon. But, if you’re one of those unlucky people who got stuck on a plane today, too bad. I hate to say it, but we needed this law years ago.