FlyersRights.org Urges DOT to Reject Airline's Attempt to Skirt 3 Hour Rule at JFK

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif., March 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today Flyers Rights founder Kate Hanni urged the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to reject an attempt by JetBlue and Delta to exempt them from new consumer protections that are set to go into effect on April 29, 2010 at JFK Airport due to a construction project.  Both Delta and JetBlue have asked that the DOT exempt them from the soon to be implemented rule until Dec. 1 or until the runway construction is completed, whichever is earlier.    

"Rather than forcing consumers to change their plans by imposing multi-hour delays on them due to some construction at JFK, the commercial airlines should change their operations and scheduling to adjust to temporarily lessened airport capacity," said Hanni.  "The construction at JFK has been in the works for some time -- and improvement projects are a natural fact of life at major airports -- we expect the DOT to enforce the 3 hour rule at JFK and for all airlines to fully comply with it."

FlyersRights.org has long recommended that FAA and the airlines work with airports to ensure that long anticipated projects, like those to take place at JFK do not cause severe or chronic delays for travelers.  The three hour time period, which was discussed and debated widely among experts, stakeholders and regulators, was selected after taking factors such as improvement projects, weather and other causes of delays into account.

"The fact that the airlines are already working actively to find loopholes and excuses to avoid compliance with new consumer protections before the regulations even go into effect demonstrates their continued hostility to consumers and new laws and policies designed to protect them," added Hanni. "The fact that these airlines are focusing their energy and resources on manipulating the regulatory process to avoid the new requirements rather than abide by them should motivate Congress to make the 3 Hour Rule permanent with the full force of law."

"Granting the airlines request for an exemption at JFK due to construction would create a precedent for waiving consumer protections at any airport where a project might be planned or ongoing and gut the new protections before they even come into effect," added Hanni.  "As the FAA plans to modernize all our nation's airports with improvement projects over the next decade granting an exemption at JFK would create a loophole so big at 777 could fly through it."

CONTACT: Kate Hanni, +1-707-337-0328, [email protected]

SOURCE FlyersRights.org