Drastic decline in tarmac delays
September 13, 2010, 08:44 pm
Few pilots and their passengers spent time sitting on the tarmac last July. The Air Travel Consumer Report released by the U.S. Department of Transportation showed a decline in the number of flights delayed more than three hours.
According to the report, three flights sat idle on the tarmac in July of this year, marking a drastic decline from the 161 reported flights during the same month in 2008. One of the reported delays can be attributed to poor weather conditions at O'Hare airport in Chicago where thunderstorms required planes to sit still.
The DOT implemented a rule in April which barred airlines from keeping passengers on a grounded plane in excess of three hours for anything not classified as a safety precaution. Airlines in violation of the rule are subject to penalties of $27,000 per passenger.
The drastic reduction in idle aircraft on the tarmac signifies a remarkable turnaround in the industry responsible for the transportation needs of millions a year. Southwest Airlines alone say they brought 86 million passengers to a new destination last year.
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