Plane Passengers Rejoice! Time Limits Placed for On-Board Tarmac Delays

Posted on December 21, 2009 in Business/Law

The U.S. Transportation Department today issued new rules for how airlines must handle passengers who are stranded on board airplanes during delays on airport tarmacs.

The new regulations come after years of horror stories told by passengers who were stuck on planes for hours, sometimes even overnight, without air conditioning, heat, water, or functioning toilets. From January to June 2009, 613 planes were delayed on tarmacs for more than three hours while their passengers were forced to stay on board, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

Under the new rules, which go into effect in 120 days, passengers on domestic flights can only be kept on board for three hours before they must be allowed to disembark a delayed flight. The only exception is for safety or security concerns or if air traffic control officials tell the pilot that returning to the terminal would disrupt airport operations, according to the Times.

For U.S. carriers operating international flights departing from or arriving in the United States, passengers must be told, in advance, of the airline’s time limits for deplaning passengers in the event of tarmac delays.

Airlines will further be required to provide food and water for passengers within two hours of a plane being delayed on a tarmac and to maintain operable lavatories on board during the delay. Also, the airlines must provide medical attention to passengers when necessary.