It’s a traveler’s worst nightmare to be trapped on a plane on the tarmac with no escape.
The US DOT does have a policy around this:
- For flights departing from a U.S. airport, airlines are required to begin to move the airplane to a location where passengers can safely get off before 3 hours for domestic flights and 4 hours for international flights.
Airlines can be fined for overstaying their welcome on the tarmac, but passengers are afforded very little – and no guaranteed compensation.
I was following this thread with interest. When would her flight take off – if it would take off?
You can’t make this up.. my United flight out of Newark taxied on the tarmac for more than 6 hours and now **no longer has enough fuel** to get to Denver — so we are taxiing back to the terminal.
— Hiroko Tabuchi (@HirokoTabuchi) August 23, 2022
After 8 hours on the plane, she was psyched to be getting going…
I spoke too soon. We are stalled again. A full 8 hours after we first boarded this flight to Denver. We are still on the tarmac at Newark. pic.twitter.com/qmcxh5ObOl
— Hiroko Tabuchi (@HirokoTabuchi) August 23, 2022
But then they didn’t.
And after 9 hours on the plane – NINE HOURS – they were back where they started with apparently one customer service rep to tend to the whole plane of displaced passengers.
It took another half hour to actually get to the gate and re-disembark. So we sat on a plane, not going anywhere, for 9 hours, burning fuel the whole time 🔥
And now, the one travel assistance counter open at midnight.. pic.twitter.com/bv1htHokOH
— Hiroko Tabuchi (@HirokoTabuchi) August 23, 2022
I remember when the DOT passed rules around lengthy tarmac delays and thought these basically didn’t happen anymore. I was wrong.
The DOT defines your rights here. They kick in after 3 hours on a domestic flight and 4 hours on an international flight.
Basically, they are required to give you a snack and water. And have a working bathroom. And you have the opportunity to deplane – though the airline has the right to not let you back on if you do so. There is also a rule that the plane temperature must be “comfortable” and that passengers have rights to adequate medical attention, if needed.
Now that we have a baby, making travel infinitely more complicated as it is, I can’t help but think what a nightmare this would be for us. As a normal adult passenger, this is pure hell. But just imagine… (And I’m sure the plane had at least one baby on board though I have no way to confirm).
Thoughts?
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