Stranded, but Maybe Not for Long

Unfortunately, many of us have been there. We're third in line for takeoff. The pilot tells us it will only be another 30 minutes. That was an hour and a half ago. The idea of spending $7 on that snack pack filled with that soft cheese spread, off-brand Chex mix and a dubious meat stick was unthinkable when you boarded — but that was three hours ago. Maybe it's the hunger. Maybe it's breathing that recycled plane air. But you're starting to think that if this devolves into a Lord of The Flies situation, that meat stick might become the equivalent of a conch shell.

Increasingly, people have horror stories of being stranded, not just in an airport, but worse, stuck on the tarmac for endless hours. There was the 11-hour debacle, for example, that prompted Jet Blue to issue a customer bill of rights.

NPR reports that even after Jet Blue's publicity nightmare, the airlines haven't learned. But their mistakes are making it easier for those who want to see a change. Last Friday, a Continental flight from Houston to Minneapolis, which should take two and a half hours, was diverted to Rochester, Minn., where the passengers were then kept on the plane essentially overnight. Despite the fact that the terminal building was just 50 yards away, and Delta crew offered to help deplane the stranded passengers, Continental held them there for six hours. For their trouble, passengers were given a complimentary beverage.

As it turns out, these types of scenarios are helping gain attention and support to the cause of creating a federally-mandated passenger bill of rights. Flyersrights, a passenger advocate group, says these types of egregious examples of airline mismanagement will help them put pressure on Congress to finally pass consumer protection measures for fliers. Barbara Boxer and Mike Thompson are championing a bill.

Until it's passed, think again before rejecting that snack pack.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Escobar via Flickr