Transcripts

The Air Passenger Bill of Rights Is Debated in Congress

PAUL KANGAS: In Congress today, a debate over how the airline industry treats its passengers. At the center of discussion is a controversial passenger bill of rights, suggested after a tough winter of flight snags for the major airlines. But as Stephanie Dhue explains, there are questions about whether that type of bill will fly.

STEPHANIE DHUE, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Stranded passengers, overbooked planes and canceled flights have lawmakers considering a new passenger bill of rights. Kate Hanni was trapped on the runway on an American Airlines plane for nine hours in December. She turned her anger into advocacy and today urged lawmakers to hold the industry accountable.

KATE HANNI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COALITION FOR AIRLINE PASSENGERS' BILL OF RIGHTS: The airlines made commitments, which they haven't kept, and why should they? There are no consequences for their actions. The DOT forgives most of the fines imposed so they are virtually meaningless.

DHUE: The passenger bill of rights under discussion would let stuck passengers get off a plane after three hours on the ground. It would also require airlines to provide food, drinking water and adequate restroom facilities to stranded passengers. Jet Blue established its own customer rights agreement after grounding thousands of passengers over Valentines Day weekend. CEO David Neeleman says putting a passenger bill of rights into law could have unintended consequences.

DAVID NEELEMAN, CEO, JETBLUE: On just a good day in New York, in the summertime, you can have taxi out times of an hour, an hour and a half. We get a thunderstorm that will come over the field and close departures for a couple of hours, it would be very easy to have somebody on a plane over a three-hour period of time and to the extent that our pilots were mandated to bring people back to the gate at that limit, chaos would reign.

DHUE: Back in 1999, the major airlines promised to voluntarily improve their customer service. But in an audit last year, the Department of Transportation found that only five of the 12 airlines had systems in place to honor the agreement. Committee Chairman Jerry Costello says he will make sure the airlines live up to their promises now.

REP. JERRY COSTELLO, CHAIRMAN, AVIATION SUBCOMMITTEE: The bottom line is, is that either they're going to address the problem or we are.

DHUE: But it may not take new legislation to enforce better customer service. Lawmakers are also calling on the Department of Transportation to take a tougher approach. Stephanie Dhue, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Washington.