Tarmac Delays Get Three Hour Limit in DOT Airline Crackdown

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2009— -- On the heels of a weekend snow storm that stranded thousands of airline passengers around the country, there is some good news for travelers who have ever been grounded for hours inside a plane.

The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced it's getting tough with airlines that keep passengers stuck in planes on airport tarmacs for more than three hours, issuing a "hard time limit" after which carriers must let the passengers off the plane or face fines.

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"I don't know what can be more disruptive to people than to have to sit on the airplane for five, six, seven hours with no explanation for why we're not flying, why we're not going back to the terminal, why we can't have a drink of water, why we can't have some food," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters during a press conference today. "To me that is the most irritating, irresponsible way to treat passengers."

The rules also require airlines to provide food and water to passengers within two hours of a delay, keep the lavatories functional and provide medical attention to passengers who may need it.

Airlines will be slapped with a $27,500 fine per passenger, per violation, according to LaHood.

The Air Transport Association, an industry trade group, said today that airlines would comply with the new rules, but that passengers will pay a price in more cancelled flights.

"In particular, the requirement of having planes return to the gates within a three hour window or face significant fines is inconsistent with our goal of completing as many flights as possible," said ATA president and CEO James C. May in a statement.

The new rules are expected to take effect in April 2010.

"The airlines are now going to be watching the clock. They don't want to pay that fine," business travel consultant and Travel Skills Group director Chris McGinnis told ABCNews.com. "We don't know yet whether this three-hour limit is really going to affect their operations that much... but now that they know there's a financial penalty, they'll find a way to make it work."

The agency says carriers will be exempt from the fines if a pilot believes safety or security is at risk or if air traffic controllers advise the pilot not to return to the terminal.

Based on 2007 and 2008 tarmac delay data, the new rule could have a sweeping impact. On average each year, more than 1,500 flights experienced delays of three-hours or more, affecting 114,000 passengers.