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commenter12

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August 29, 2010 11:40 am

I strongly support any provision that would provide air travelers with additional timely information regarding flight delays.
In many cases a traveler may need to make other plans to reach his or her destination, and the lack of information regarding flight delays may limit his or her ability to do so.

August 29, 2010 12:13 pm

It is unfortunate that the airlines have forced the government to step and and set limits by holding passengers hostage on the tarmac and treating them like items to be shipped and not people.
While schedules must be met – EVERYONE is inconvenienced by flight delays, including the airline, the travelers and the airport.
Consideration is what is needed here, and the airlines have proven that they cannot be considerate to the travelers without a rule.
Consequently, I believe a federal limit is necessary, however I believe there are multiple factors that should be considered. For instance, if a plane with 100 people on it has only 2 operating bathrooms, perhaps the timeframe should be shorter than a plane with more bathrooms in operation. Further, I would think the delay for a smaller… more »

…plane that provides passengers with so little headroom that they cannot stand up without bending their heads (based on the height of an average american) should be less than 3 hours. The facilities on the plane could also be a factor (e.g., whether the plane has enough supplies to provide every traveler with sufficient water for the wait – including both the time on the tarmac and the time in the air). I believe that if the airport is closed (due to time of day) and the bathrooms on the plane are sufficient to satisfy the needs of the travelers, there is no reason to let travelers off the plane if the plane is waiting at the gate. However, if the airport is open and the airline does not intend to provide travelers with food, it is appropriate for the airline to let travelers off the plane so they can get food if the wait is long.
I see the reason for letting travelers deplane as being to allow them to obtain what they need and cannot get if they are held on the plane. If international passengers are allowed to disembark, but are unable to access bathrooms or shops to obtain food or reading material, I don’t see that as a reasonable accommodation.
The only reason the airlines do not want to publish their plans in their respective contracts of carriage is because people may attempt to sue them if they fail to comply with those plans. Not that I believe people should sue at the drop of a hat, but I do believe the travelers should have that as an option if the airline acts in an egregious manner. Thus, I believe airlines should be required to include their plans in their contracts of carriage.
I believe that airports should have tarmac contingency plans. Perhaps if both the airlines and the airports were required to have plans, the back and forth would lead to better coordination.
Throughout all, I believe the airlines should inform their travelers about the situation regularly. One reason for traveler angst in these situations is due to the lack of information. Setting traveler expectations is good.
However, airlines also must realize that sometimes the best decision is to let the travelers get off the plane and make other travel arrangements. « less
August 29, 2010 12:35 pm

DOT should require that when a fare/rate can only be achieved if two persons book that both the one person rate be displayed/provided unless it is clear that the person booking is booking for two.
DOT should not adopt a less strict approach to post-purchase price increases. If I buy a TV at Best Buy, Best Buy cannot come after me later to wring more money out of me. A traveler enters into a contract with an airline whereby the traveler pays a price so that the airline with transport the person somewhere on an agreed-upon date and time. When the airline later changes the price, it is effectively breaking the contract and extorting money out of the traveler who likely will lose more money it he or she objects.
Given the fact that travelers contract for airline travel at different times/dates… more »

…between the time the airline posts the flight and the date of travel, and people already know that prices can change if they do not buy a ticket, the airline can raise ticket prices on seats purchased later. Further, the airline likely will include possible fuel price fluctuations in their calculation of ticket fares/prices.
Regarding ticket prices, I believe airlines should be required to publish a comparable, typical fare regardless of how they otherwise choose to display their pricing structure. For instance, all airlines should be required to publish the price, fee and tax inclusive, to fly round-trip with one checked bag to the destination. This would allow travelers to compare prices between carriers because the price would be for the same thing. To the extent other services could be provided (e.g. second bag or a premium seat), that could be displayed separately as an opt-in.
The biggest issue I have as a traveler with the various prices and airline price structures is that there is no comparability. While I think I may be getting a good deal with one carrier, there always seems to be some other amount I later must pay that, were it figured into the mix when I made the decision of which carrier to fly with, could have caused me to choose a different carrier. « less
August 29, 2010 1:01 pm

I wholeheartedly agree with the idea that airlines should be required to provide travelers with a “full-fare” price. This would allow travelers to compare prices between carriers and make better decisions.
A good alternative would be to allow an individual to choose what options they will use (e.g., how many checked bags) and provide an all-in price that includes those options (and also includes fees and taxes). This would allow travelers to determine what the “all-in” price includes, but would still allow the traveler to compare apples to apples when determining which airline to travel with.
ALL carriers that operate in the US should be required to display all-in fares for all flights that either begin or end in the US.
One result I could see here would be that an… more »

…airline may allow one checked bag, but the size of the bag may be smaller for some carriers than others – and the charge for oversized bags may be more. Oversized bags may be something one doesn’t think about until one gets to the airport and then finds out the bag is too big. Consequently, it might be good for a more prominent display of requirements on the traveler – e.g., bag size and weight.
As to “code share” price display – as a traveler, I want to know what I am paying and what the restrictions on me would be. If there is no cost difference for me to fly on an airline the airline I have contracted with has sub-contracted with to fly me somewhere, I am OK knowing only the all-in price. I think, however, that it is important for me, the traveler, to know if the subcontractor has more restrictive luggage requirements that could cause me to need to pay additional fees.
I believe people want to know about the fees and restrictions when they arrange for travel. I’m not sure it is necessary to advertise changes in fees or restrictions. Instead, I believe the fees or restrictions should not change for a passenger that has bought his or her ticket. The contract between the airline and traveler is set when the ticket is purchased and unilateral changes to fees that affect the traveler should not be allowed. If that contract allows the airline to change restrictions (e.g., size of bag), the airline should be required to inform affected passengers that have already purchased tickets.
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August 29, 2010 1:27 pm

I think it is terrific that DOT is, based on its experience with customer service plans, setting minimum requirements. All of the requirements listed seem reasonable. I would not want to fly with an airline that did not do those things.
With respect to the listed additional standards, I think it is important to note that if a bag is not delivered within 2 hours after the passenger landed on the first leg of a round-trip flight – it could be problematic. Whereas if it were delivered that late on the second leg of a round trip and the carrier later delivers it to the traveler’s home it may not be such a big deal.
Similarly, if the round-trip flight is over a long weekend, it is more important for the bag to catch up with the traveler quickly, but if the round-trip is over a two… more »

…week period in one place and the airline delivers the bag to the traveler within a day it may not be as big a deal.
Refunds for bag fees on lost bags seems appropriate.
As to fees and taxes, I believe refunds should include any fees and taxes the carrier has not otherwise been required to pay to someone else.
I also believe carriers should reimburse travelers for lost bags. If the carrier fails to deliver a bag on-time, that also should be reimbursed – however I believe the definition of “on time” could be flexible. « less
August 29, 2010 1:29 pm

Any foreign carrier that operates in the U.S. should be subject to U.S. rules with respect to U.S. flights.
Those carriers are making money off U.S. travelers, consequently they should be required to follow the rules here.

August 29, 2010 1:33 pm

It is important to carriers to publish on-time performance. This is an important statistic used by some travelers to make choices about the carriers they wish to fly with.
Also, the requirement to publish these statistics makes the carriers pay more attention to their achievements both individually and as compared to other carriers.

August 31, 2010 12:11 am

Thanks for your comment. How frequently do you think updates should be given?


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