Passengers will now be able to get off a stranded airplane after three hours thanks to a new regulation put into place by the Transportation Department. This new rule comes in light of various occurrences by airlines that have left people waiting with no option to deplane. Once such incident happened last summer when a Minneapolis bound flight that was diverted to Rochester, Minnesota where travelers sat and waited on the runway for nearly six hours.

The new time limit is only for domestic flights; however operators of international flights must specify their own time limits for deplaning. One exception to the rule would be to keep customers on the plane if the airline felt it may be disruptive to airport operations or cause harm to any of the customers.

In addition to the new three hour limit, airlines will be required to post information about delays on their websites and come up with new plans to address customer complaints as it relates to the delay or possible cancellation. Airlines will even have to fork over some water or food if stranded passengers have been locked on the plane for more than two hours. Not sure if giving out airplane food is actually helpful to an already stressful situation.

Other rules being considered by the Transportation Department include making it mandatory for airlines to disclose baggage fees and full prices on advertised flights. What new rules would you like to see put into place by the airlines?

Source: Associated Press

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