Rights on time

A year ago, as the mounting ire of the flying public had lawmakers considering a Passenger Bill of Rights, the airline industry forestalled the force of law by voluntarily adopting a “Customer Service Commitment.” A new report, commissioned by Congress and just released, finds the airlines still more committed to serving themselves than their customers.

The report by the Department of Transportation inspector general is hardly a scathing indictment. It finds modest progress in some of the more easily correctable aspects of passenger treatment, but worsening conditions where it counts. The opening statement – “the aviation system is not working well” – pretty much sums it up.

The improvements generally fall into two categories: those that make one airline look better than a competitor, such as more leg room, tastier snacks and quicker baggage handling; and those that prevent lawsuits, such as providing accurate information about fares, making refunds when necessary and paying a fair price for lost luggage. The areas getting worse are, of course, those that really matter to a traveler – delays and cancellations.

The problem, described fully in congressional testimony last year and reiterated by the inspector general, is not that delays and cancellations occur, but that the airlines fail to keep passengers informed and to provide for their basic needs and comfort when they do.

The deficiencies, gleaned from observations made at 39 airports, include providing chronically inaccurate “on time” information at gate areas to prevent passengers from switching flights, keeping passengers on board even when take-off is delayed for an hour or more to save the expense of returning to the gate (80 flights kept passengers waiting onboard more than five hours last year), failing to provide overnight accommodations or meals when flights are canceled and failing to inform passengers bumped from flights of their legal rights.

The airlines anticipated the report, and the Senate hearings that began this week, by blaming the delays and cancellations on the government’s failure to expand airports and to modernize the air-traffic control and weather monitoring systems.

Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, author of the proposed bill of rights last year, agrees that the nation’s thirst for bigger airports and better technology is boundless, but also observed that, “You do not need more runways to start telling people the truth.” Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, another passenger advocate, said, “Most of the stuff in our legislation has nothing to do with infrastructure. It has everything to do with the airlines having simple good manners.”

The inspector general, Kenneth M. Mead, suggested much the same by saying that the most bitter passenger complaints he heard during his one-year inquiry could have been prevented had the airlines simply provided accurate information, such as having ticket agents tell customers which flights are prone to delay. Still, airline spokesmen used their time before the Senate committee last week to warn of longer delays if more concrete isn’t poured, which, if nothing else, should make a Passenger Bill of Rights right on time.