Record-breaking heat and troubling airline delays are combining to create nightmares for some travelers who have been stuck in airplanes for hours this summer waiting to take off, leaving them feeling helpless and angry as temperatures spike and patience wears thin.
Passengers on a United Airlines flight from Newark to Rome faced a seven-hour wait on the airport apron on July 2, prompting Christine Ieronimo, the woman in a viral TikTok video, to share harsh words with a United Airlines gate agent after she and others were let off the plane after midnight.
Airlines are facing increased scrutiny from aviation regulators and travelers on social media for leaving passengers on planes on takeoff and landing for hours, adding to the stresses of a hectic summer for travel where prices have spiked and demand has hit record levels.
In the video shared on the social media platform, Ieronimo claims she and other passengers, including babies, seniors and pregnant women, were, “treated like animals,” and not given water or snacks during the delay, even in uncomfortable heat. Scott Rosnov, another passenger, told Business Insider that the flight was delayed due to an air conditioning malfunction and that the flight crew was uncommunicative.
The incident, known as a tarmac delay, triggered a media frenzy, eventually prompting United to release a statement, saying, “On July 3, United flight 40 returned to the gate at Newark Liberty to address a temperature issue. Once there, we offered customers the opportunity to deplane and later provided snacks and beverages.”
Ieronimo’s son, who was traveling with her, posted a response video on August 21 that gained over 20 million views on TikTok, 10-fold the reach of the original video. In it, he says United’s statement was false, and that United was unhelpful in rebooking their trip and compensating them for their experience.
It was a nightmare scenario for any traveler, and it’s not limited to United.
In May, an American Airlines flight bound for Phoenix was stranded at DFW Airport for just over three hours. It was one of three flights with tarmac delays surpassing three hours that month according to the Department of Transportation’s May 2023 Air Travel Consumer Report, released Thursday.
In July, a Delta flight intended for Las Vegas sat on the tarmac in Las Vegas for just under three hours while outside temperatures reached 111 degrees. The plane only returned to the gate once passengers began to faint.
So, can airlines do that? Strand passengers on a tarmac for hours with no food or water and limited communication while the temperature rises?
No, they can’t.
The DOT launched investigations into both the United flight and the American flight, as is standard for any tarmac delay more than three hours, as well as the Delta flight. If wrongdoing is found on the part of the airline, it can be fined.
On Aug. 28, the DOT fined American a record $4.1 million for tarmac delay violations after an investigation found that between 2018 and 2021 43 domestic flights sat on the tarmac for extended periods of time without allowing passengers off. Most of those delays occurred at DFW. American’s total revenue in 2022 was nearly $50 billion, according to its most recent annual report.
United was fined $1.9 million in 2021 for a series of then-recent delays and British Airways was fined $135,000 for one tarmac delay in 2017.
What you’re entitled to and what you can do
In accordance with federal law, the DOT has rules around what airlines must do in the event of lengthy tarmac delays.
According to the regulation, all airlines must create an emergency contingency plan that includes the provision of the following:
— The opportunity to deplane before the tarmac delay exceeds three hours for domestic flights and four for international flights.
— Adequate food and potable water no more than two hours after the delay starts.
— Functioning lavatories, comfortable cabin temperatures and adequate medical attention if needed.
— An update to passengers of the delay once it exceeds 30 minutes, and subsequent updates thereafter at the discretion of the crew.
— Timely notice to passengers each time the opportunity to deplane exists.
What counts as a comfortable cabin temperature, the variable that can turn a tarmac delay from an uncomfortable inconvenience to a medical emergency, may be hotter than you think. Because of how airplanes’ air conditioning systems are designed, according to The Points Guy, it is hard to maintain what we would think of as room temperature, around 75 degrees, for extended periods of time on the ground, especially with more than 50 days over 100 degrees this summer in North Texas.
The DOT doesn’t provide an exact temperature range that airlines must maintain, even thoug the DOT inspector general recommended guidelines be put in place 2014. Internal documents reviewed by POLITICO showed that American will tolerate cabin temperatures up to 90 degrees while JetBlue will tolerate 85 degrees.
Almost all airlines have similar contingency plans that meet the DOT’s standards, according to Brett Snyder, airline expert and founder of the blog Cranky Flier. That means that your experience in a tarmac delay shouldn’t vary much from airline to airline.
If you find yourself stuck in a tarmac delay, you can demand what the law says you are entitled to, and if your needs are not met, you can file a complaint with the DOT, he says. It’s also never a bad idea to bring your own snacks and fill up a water bottle at the airport, just in case.
What you can do after the flight to get rebooked or compensated is lightly regulated and varies greatly by airline. Reaching out to customer service may help you get more compensation. The DOT also has a dashboard of all the major airlines and what they are committed to doing in the event of controllable delays and cancellations.
Rest assured though, that tarmac delays do not appear to be getting more frequent, especially given the 45,000 flights that happen every day in the U.S., according to the FAA and consumer report data.
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