Back to Squawk list
  • 21

U.S. Congress to create 5 new rights for airline passsengers

تم الإرسال
After video of a 69-year-old man being violently dragged off a United Airlines flight went viral earlier this year, lawmakers appear more willing than ever to establish new regulations that would provide greater protections for travelers. ( المزيد...

Sort type: [Top] [Newest]

Tom Bruce 9
if they require ALL airlines to comply with seat size and spacing then all airlines would be on equal footing and could freely compete.....
James Driskell 7
I'm in favor of anything that improves the flight experience.
Ric Wernicke 11
The airlines are want to have it both ways. They demanded deregulation to allow them to freely set fares and compete in any market. They used it to beat competition into the bankruptcy and forced mergers.

At the same time they reduced service to passengers and engaged "contracts of adhesion" with passengers. In the past tickets were freely convertible for a fare on any airline. Any ticket was fully refundable. Almost everybody paid the same amount for a ticket. None of the nonsense where you paid $800. for a seat and the guy next to you shelled out $232.

Now if you purchase a ticket, there is no ticket you can use anyplace else. You are stuck on United, even if American has better flight two hours earlier on a nonstop. There is little competition and the players all hide the true fares behind walls set to prevent comparison shopping. It is not easy to discover the price for baggage, meals, seat selection, and even printing a boarding pass.

Need to cancel a reservation, or reschedule? You'll pay $200. for something that costs the airline a buck ninety-eight.

Try jumping through hoops to use miles, and you find many flights with no hoops to jump through. Pay for a first class seat, and you find all the unsold seats peppered with the unwashed smelling of desert saddle leather who were at the top of the upgrade list.

Try comparing prices online through any of the so-called travel search engines, and you find only certain flights appearing, and the search engines are owned by travel agents trying to push you toward the flights with the best commissions. My personal favorite is "only 2 seats left at this price." The airline website, however, shows upward of 100 seats on offer.

Congress should regulate tickets by making them fully refundable and convertible. They should regulate seat width and pitch commensurate with the size of today's people, not those of the 1920's.

There should be regulations regarding decorum, and stiff penalties for anyone who disrupts any portion of the transportation process from setting foot on airport property to stepping off. Persons who lack the manners to fly compromise everyone's safety and should be jailed and banned from travel for an appropriate period.

mary susan watkins 1
RIC...your points,although well taken, are not totally for example,when purchased do state non refundable/changeable on specific fares..also,if you purchase an item at say nordstroms, would you expect to be able to return it for a refund or exchange it at dillards?(airlines are independent separate companies or corporations you know)..the airlines do use rule 240 (still) if there is an issue where you must be sent to another airline because of their circumstances..the tickets,however,must be reissued rather than just endorsed..yes,frequent flyer mileage seats are becoming fewer and harder to find,especially on certain dates,and the frequent flyer upgrade rules have gotten to be a bit much..if you do not like the travel search engines for comparison of fares,then do not use them..just go directly to the individual airlines online booking site..that is simple..passenger decorum is subject to the discretion of the agents working at the counter, the airport police,the tsa representatives and the agents and flight crews at the gate/departure point..there are already many policies in place with regard to safety,courtesy,and what might be considered disruptive behavior,on and off an airplane,up to and including not allowing a person to fly, and possibly jail time..the only way for tickets to once again be fully refundable and convertible,would be to go back to the 70's, when there were only straight first and coach fares ,with no economy,excursion,buy in advance for $200 fares and no frequent flyer programs!you cannot change peoples "I'm more important than you" behavior,nor can we go back to the days of when people dressed up to fly,acted as adults attending an important event,and did not complain about everything...
ADXbear 7
What about addressing useful Lavatory sizes especially for handicapped elderly people?
dc3orbust 5
Ok, lets pass regulations for travelers.
IF that succeeds How about adding to it new regulations for stricter punishment for the people that are proven to be instigators/ troublemakers etc.. How about some regs to protect the other 200+ people on a flight from the rude passengers looking for 5 minutes of Youtube fame? After the dust settles it is not always the airlines that are the issue.
Deborah Fortuna 1
I agree. I'm so tired of people bringing their personal issues on board and expect people to get on their chariot. Board the plane, find your seat and MYOB. Can't say this enough.
Bernie20910 2
After the past year is there anyone who is surprised at this development?
mary susan watkins 3
although people should expect courtesy,communication, and as much of an on time schedule as is possible barring mechanical issues or weather,the traveler or passenger must realize that airplanes are not flying luxury hotels,or even flying holiday inns..airplanes are designed to get as many people as can "comfortably and safely" be accommodated, from point a to point b within a reasonable time frame..we all understand the issues of smaller seat size,overbooking and baggage fees,and we also all understand that some agents or flight attendants just do not have the training nor the understanding of how to handle situations such as the episode of the doctor being dragged off the aircraft (united)..the point behind deregulation of the airlines in the 70's was to promote more competition ,but because it also allowed mergers and the like,the opposite is true..the government does still have control over safety issues, but the airlines are businesses,and they are "for profit",just as say mcdonalds competing with burger king..
rcowen 1
Keep government out of it (other than safety standards). Open our market to foreign airlines for flights within the US if they will open their market. Let the consumer decide whom to fly based on price, schedule, convenience and widely available social media comments. Full transparency! Think about how much revenue United (and others) have lost based on YouTube videos. Give consumers a real choice, that will shape up the industry; eat lunch or be lunch. Yes, I know, let the flames begin...
Tom Bruce 2
not bad! let them really compete against GOOD SERVICE...
dc3orbust 1
Ok, lets pass regulations for travelers.
IF that succeeds How about adding to it new regulations for stricter punishment for the people the are proven to be instigators/ troublemakers etc.. How about some regs to protect the other 200+ people on a flight from the rude passengers looking for 5 minutes of Youtube fame? After the dust settles it is not always the airlines that are the issue.

تسجيل الدخول

هل علمت بأن خاصية تتبع الرحلة التابعة لـFlightAware مدعومة بواسطة الإعلانات؟