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126 JetBlue passengers spend 7 hours on tarmac!!!
Another stuck on the tarmac horror story. (www.foxnews.com) More...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
I can assure you, the fines are anything but cheap. It would not take but a few incidents like this to bankrupt an airline.
Also having recently attended a company workshop regarding the above mentioned new regulations, I can assure you Dave is right. My companies current policy requires updates to passengers every 30min, assorted drinks and snacks at 2hrs, and deplaning options at 4hrs. Fines for violations are posted as $28,000 per passenger per incident.
28000 per passenger per incident ? Who are these "fines" paid to ? definately not the passengers !
Yep - this is the biggest injustice in the penalty system, FAA now profits from passenger misfortune.
Having just attended a workshop on preventing such incidents, I find it hard to believe any airline would intentionally do something like this. The problem comes when many flights divert into an airport that isn't ready for them. There are only so many gates available to handle flights. When you suddenly and unexpectedly get a flood of over 20 diversions, those gates fill up quickly, and it takes time to unload each aircraft and move another to the gate, especially in inclement weather.
Its an organizational nightmare. There may not be a gate and crew for one thing, and then when they do get to the gate, who will process the passengers? The other option Just open the doors out on the ramp and let people mill around amongst airport vehicles and other airplanes and just have a free for all in BDL. I do not agree with 7-hours, but sometimes 7-hours occurs in about 7-minutes!
Im sure JetBlue figures it's cheaper to pay the fines then show care for it's passengers.