SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2010
THE NAVIGATOR Christopher Elliott
Uproar over flight delays may be paying off If you’re afraid of being
trapped in a parked plane on your next trip, stop worrying. Only three flights were
delayed more than three hours in July, the latest month reported by the Transportation Department. All the incidents happened on the evening of July 23, when a line of “very nasty” thunderstorms swept through Chicago, according to American Airlines spokeswoman AndreaHuguely. “Unfortunately, the way the
weather pattern was that day, we couldn’t park [the planes] on a gate,” she added. “The ramp was closed. Our passengers were given a snack and water, and our crewtried to keep them as comfortable as possible while waiting.” The three American Eagle
regional jets bound for Knoxville, Tenn., Raleigh- Durham,N.C., and Baltimore were on “hold” while waiting for the weather to clear. The government is investigating the circumstances of those delays but hasn’t issued any fines. It’s been almost a year since
passenger-rights activists held a “stakeholders” meeting in Washington to denounce tarmac delays and call for new rules to end them. And it’s been more than four months since the Transportation Department enacted a rule requiring airlines to allow passengers to deplane within three hours, with exceptions for safety or security. Airlines face a maximum fine of $27,500 per passenger for overstaying that limit. But only in reviewing the
effectiveness of the newtarmac- delay rule has the real problem —and the solution—become apparent. It wasn’t these isolated but maddening delays, but how airlines regarded them, that was troublesome. Regulators looked past the rhetoric of the moment, ignored the fact that this was a small issue and envisioned a big solution: With a patchwork of newrules, they believed, they could encourage airlines to think of their customers in a different, and maybe better, way. Three full months of data are
now available for review. In June, only three flights were delayed more than three hours, also in Chicago, and also because of thunderstorms. Those planes belonged to United Airlines, which said that it couldn’t safely unload passengers within the time
TRAVEL LUCI GUTIERREZ FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
went into effect; they were a shameful but exceedingly rare event. In July 2009, only 161 of 580,134 flights were delayed by more than three hours, or 0.028 percent of the total flights that month, according to the government. In June 2009, it was 0.049 percent, and inMay it was 0.0064 percent. Yet for reasons that aren’t
clear to the casual observer, tarmac delays remain a contentious issue in Washington. In July, a team of aviation consultants released a self-funded survey concluding that the newrule would cost the flying public $3.9 billion during the next two decades. The study, which was based
on the government’sMay airline data, claimed that airlines had proactively canceled 140 flights to avoid violating the three-hour rule. The Transportation
Department issued a rare rebuttal that called the study “questionable” and asserted that the data didn’t support the analysts’ conclusions. A few weeks later, it sent out a press release touting the July tarmac delays as being “down dramatically” from the previous year. The government has also
limit. InMay, only one flight exceeded the three-hour limit. And the government hasn’t fined any airlines for violating the three-hour rule inMay or June. “As more time passes, it’s becoming clear that the sky is not falling on airlines or their customers over the three-hour tarmac-delay rule,” said Kevin Mitchell of the Business Travel Coalition, who attended the stakeholders meeting last year. “If anything, there are likely newefficiencies and cost savings made possible by complying with the newrule as airlines modify schedules, processes and systems.” But tarmac delays weren’t really a crisis before the rule
signaled that it’s ready to enforce the three-hour rule, if indirectly. Earlier this month, for example, it went after Pinnacle Airlines, a regional carrier for Delta Air Lines, for failing to submit accurate data regarding delays. The airline had reported that one of its flights exceeded the three-hour limit but then “reexamined” its data and concluded that the flight hadn’t been delayed by more than three hours, after all. Pinnacle was fined $10,000. And there’s more. A sweeping
passenger-rights rulemaking initiative currently under consideration would extend the three-hour rule to international carriers, require airlines to coordinate their tarmac-delay contingency plans with allU.S. airports they serve and compel airlines to notify passengers of the flight’s status every 30 minutes while a plane is delayed. What does this mean to the
average airline passenger? Your odds of being on a flight that’s stuck on the taxiway for more than three hours are extremely low, just as they’ve always been. But is air travel a better
experience now—or were tarmac delays an unnecessary diversion? In the past year, there’s been
a proliferation of airline fees that have effectively doubled the price of some tickets. Service cuts have continued, two major airlines have merged and two more are about to. Passengers are getting less and paying more. Did the watchdogs waste
their time on the tarmac?Not necessarily, says Charlie Leocha, director of the Consumer Travel Alliance (an organization that, by way of full disclosure, I helped start and continue to advise). “Although tarmac delays
were a small problem, they emboldened the government to help airlines find customer service religion again,” he said. Proposed newrules covering everything from transparent publication of airfares and airline fees to increases in denied-boarding compensation are “strong evidence” that the Transportation Department now expects airlines to treat passengers as people. Maybe flight delays aren’t such a bad thing, after all.
Elliott is National Geographic Traveler magazine’s reader advocate. E-mail him at
celliott@ngs.org.
Editor: Joe Yonan • Deputy Editor: Zofia Smardz • Art Directors: Marty Barrick, Alla Dreyvitser • Staff Writers: Andrea Sachs, Nancy Trejos • Editorial Assistant: Becky Krystal • Travel Advertising: Joseph E.
Teipe Jr., 202-334-6250 • To respond to one of our articles: E-mail
travel@washpost.com, call 202-334-7750 or write us: Washington Post Travel section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Manuscripts: Because of the volume of mail we receive, the Travel section cannot return or acknowledge unsolicited manuscripts, article proposals or photographs.
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ALAMY
The nave of the Church of the Society of Jesus in Quito, Ecuador, is covered with seven tons of gold leaf. WHAT’STHEDEAL?
Thisweek’s best travel bargains around the globe
LAND lMore than 20 Montreal hotels are offering Sweet Deals packages this fall and winter, with half off the cost of a second night’s stay. For example, at theHotel de la Montagne downtown, pay $220 for the first night and $110 for the second, plus $55 in taxes, for a weekend stay in late October. Offer also includes perks such as casino coupons and gift certificates. Travel Oct. 16-Dec. 31. Info: 888-234- 5505,
www.tourisme-
montreal.org. l Atlantic City’s BorgataHotel Casino & Spa has special room rates Mondays through Thursdays during October. Rooms start at $89 a night, instead of the usual $109 to $159. Add $12 in taxes per night. Info: 866-692-6742,
www.theborgata. com. l The Atlantic Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has a Cheers for Years package that provides a food and beverage or spa credit each night equal to the age of the oldest guest in the room. For example, a guest age 57 will receive a credit of $57 for each night during his or her stay. Book by Thursday; stay through Oct. 25. Rates start at $219 per room per night, plus $24 in taxes. Bring proof of age. Deal is not available online; book by calling 866-925-9907 and
requesting code PKCFY. Resort info:
www.atlantichotelfl.com.
SEA
l Geographic Expeditions is offering $2,000 per person off the price of selected departures on its Galapagos cruises aboard La Pinta, a 48-passenger yacht. The reduced trip price of $4,675 per person double includes three nights’ accommodations in mainland Ecuador; private tour of Quito; internal airfare; a seven-night voyage to 10 islands, with daily naturalist-led excursions; most meals; and all transfers, taxes and fees. Departures are Oct. 27 andNov. 3, 10 and 17. Info: 800-777-8183,
www.geoex.com/ special_trips.asp.
AIR
l Southwest has aWeb-only sale from BWIMarshall to more than two dozenU.S. cities, with fares starting at $49 oneway, not including taxes. Sample round- trip fares, including all taxes: to Albany or Columbus, Ohio, $119. Fares on other airlines start at $141 to both cities. Book by Sept. 27; travel Tuesdays,Wednesdays and Saturdays, Oct. 5-Dec. 14. Info: 800-435-9792,
www.southwest.com. l Aer Lingus has winter flights fromNewYork’s JFK Airport to Ireland starting at $199 one way, not including taxes. Round- trip fares, including all taxes, start at $503. Fares on other airlines start at about $650. Book
byWednesday; travelNov. 11- March 31. Info: 800-474 7424,
www.aerlingus.com.
PACKAGE
l Contiki, which operates tours for 18- to 35-year-olds, has a Summer Previewsale on selected 2011 Europe trips, with $225 in savings.Make a (nonrefundable) $200 deposit by Nov. 15 and receive $200 off the cost of the trip, plus get a $25 excursion voucher. For example, the eight-day London & Paris trip, departing April 9 from London, is usually $1,175 per person double; with the discount, it’s $975, plus an $8 document fee. Trip includes six nights’ accommodations, some meals, ground transportation, ferry crossing, sightseeing tours and taxes; round-trip air from theUnited States is extra. For all trips, travelMarch 29-Oct. 29, 2011. Choose from trips marked “2011 departures available.” Offer cannot be booked online; call 866-266-8454 and mention promo code PREVIEW. To search for trips:
www.contiki.com.
—K.C. Summers
Submit travel deals to
whatsthedeal@washpost.com. Please include your phone number and e-mail address. Prices were verified Thursday afternoon when the Travel section went to press, but deals sell out and availability is not guaranteed. Restrictions such as blackout dates and advance purchasemay apply.
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