NY Law Aims to Protect Airline Passengers

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has signed a law guaranteeing airline passengers basic comforts if they are stuck on the tarmac for more than three hours.

The Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights is the first of its kind in the country, Aviation Daily reported. It goes into effect Jan. 1. The measure says passengers must be supplied with food, water, fresh air, electricity and bathrooms during long delays.

Under the law, a new Office of Airline Consumer Advocate can take action when passengers complain. Airlines could face fines of up to $1,000 per passenger for violations.

The bill was inspired by incidents earlier this year when passengers at New York airports were kept on planes that sat on the runway for hours without food and clean water.

The Air Transport Association, the airlines’ trade organization, said it is considering legal action to block the law.

We are working with the U.S. Dept. of Transportation to find better ways of addressing customer service issues, the group said in a statement. We are disappointed that the federal law regarding customer service was ignored and believe the bill is pre-empted.