Reduced tarmac torture

Spurred in part by the six-hour grounding of a cramped regional jet in Rochester in August, the United States Department of Transportation announced on Monday that U.S. airlines must let passengers deplane after three hours of being stranded or face big fines. Airlines will also be obliged to offer food and drinking water and working lavoratories after two hours on the tarmac, according to the new rules, which will go into effect in mid-April. From January to June this year, 613 planes were delayed on tarmacs for more than three hours. Under the new regulations, airlines would be fined $27,500 per passenger for each biolation of the three-hour limit, according to Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood. "Airline passengers have rights, and these new rules will require airlines to live up to their obligationto treat their customers fairly," he said. A statement by the Air Transportation Association, a trade group representing U.S. airlines, said "We will comply with the new rule even though we believe it will lead to unintended consequences – more cancelled flights and greater passenger inconvenience." Are you glad to be offered the promise, or worried about the implications for airlines and how that might impact ticket prices and cancellations?