As much as travelers revel in securing cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms, probably few things are as frustrating as being held aboard a plane on a tarmac indefinitely. Last week the DOT (Department of Transportation) turned down requests from American, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, and US Airways for exemptions to the rule that they can no longer hold passengers on runways for longer than three hours without facing stiff penalties.
The primary reason given by the airlines requesting the exemption was the runway construction at New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport. Initially airlines were only requesting exemptions for flights leaving JFK, but then exemption requests started to come in for neighboring airports including Newark, LaGuardia and Philadelphia.
The DOT did state that it will take into consideration runway construction at JFK when deciding whether to pursue enforcement action for failing to comply with the rule and the amount of the fine, if any, to seek as a result of noncompliance.
American Airlines responded by thanking the DOT for recognizing the unique challenges posed by the runway construction at JFK and saying that it would take this into account when deciding whether to pursue financial penalties. The DOT noted that airlines could re-route or reschedule JFK flights to reduce congestion.
As of April 29th any airline that allows a plane flying a domestic route to sit on a tarmac for more than three hours with passengers on board faces fines up to $27,500 per passenger.
www.cheapfares.com