Three in four fliers support calls for a passenger Bill of Rights, according to a new poll.
Conducted by Siena College in New York, the air passenger survey also indicates that almost seven in ten airline customers would like to see a federal law guaranteeing that fliers will get off a plane after a maximum period of time on the ground.
Eighty-two percent of respondents believe that passengers should have to wait no longer than two hours on the tarmac.
The survey was prompted by reports of a JetBlue flight stranded on the runway at New York JFK on Valentine’s Day for more than ten hours, as the carrier waited for stormy weather to clear.
Yet, despite these February setbacks, 91 percent of passengers questioned said that they receive fair or better treatment from airline personnel, with 88 percent praising the conduct of airport security staff.
“I was surprised that passengers were so upbeat, given all the problems associated with airline travel,” said Dr Douglas Lonnstrom, Director of the Siena Research Institute.
“It appears passengers realize that airlines are in a difficult business and are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. They know security is a pain, but that it is necessary pain.”
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