DOT 23-07
Contact: Brian Turmail
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Tel.: (202) 366-4570
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters Asks Department’s Inspector
General to Review Why Passengers Were Left Stranded on Airliners for Hours
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters today asked that the
Department’s independent Inspector General review two recent cases of airlines
leaving passengers stranded on board aircraft for hours.
The Secretary said in her request that she was concerned about a December
incident involving American Airlines during which passengers were forced to
remain aboard the aircraft for more than six hours. She also noted that scores
of passengers were stranded aboard a JetBlue aircraft during a Valentine’s Day
snow and ice storm at New York’s JFK International Airport.
“I have serious concerns about airlines’ contingency planning that allows
passengers to sit on the tarmac for hours on end,” said Secretary Peters. “It is
imperative that airlines do everything possible to ensure that situations like
these do not occur again.”
The Secretary asked Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel
to examine the airlines’ customer service commitments, contracts of carriage and
policies dealing with extended ground delays aboard aircraft and to provide his
assessment on why the American and JetBlue situations occurred.
Secretary Peters requested specific recommendations from the Inspector General
for what airlines, airports and the government, including the Department of
Transportation, can do to prevent future similar events. She also asked the
Inspector General to identify and share existing successful practices being used
in commercial aviation that could be shared throughout the system to improve
customer service in such situations.
“Passengers have a right to know what to expect when it comes to ground delays,”
Secretary Peters said.
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Briefing
Room
