=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/c/a/2007/02/04/INGFLNSJ6M= 1.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, February 4, 2007 (SF Chronicle) Stranded on the runway/Fed up air travelers call for Passengers Bill of Rig= hts Tim Hanni, Kate Hanni "Airline customers have simply become an obstacle to the airlines," a friend in the restaurant business once said. After hours and hours of sitting on the tarmac on American Airlines flight 1348 a few days after Christmas, unable to take off or taxi to a gate, it was obvious we were being treated as if we were just in the way -- not customers, but mere obstacles to their business. Traveling with our two sons, we were trying to make it from the Napa Valley to Mobile, Ala., for a business trip coupled with a family vacation. But after our flight from San Francisco was diverted to Austin, Texas, because of heavy storms in Dallas -- where we had our connecting flight -- we waited nearly nine hours on the runway in Austin. First we hoped we could get to Dallas, then we just wished we would simply be cleared to go to an open gate in Austin. The only food was a few pretzel snack bags; cell phones and music players slowly went dead; the air became stale and later polluted when the toilets overflowed. When we finally got off the plane in Austin after 9 p.m., we had hardly eaten a bite since we'd left home at 3 in the morning. But as we stepped into the terminal, the last of the restaurants were rolling down their metal security cages and refused to give us food. Then, after waiting another frustrating two hours to find out that our luggage would not be unloaded, the line for a measly $10 discount offered by the airline on a hotel room was impossibly long and all of the hotel shuttle services were done for the night. We gave up and checked into a cheap hotel, ending a 22-hour day of travel. After four hours sleep, we were back at the airport at 6 a.m. We boarded= a flight for Dallas 2 1/2 hours later. But when we reached Dallas, we were told by one gate assistant that we wouldn't be able to get on the next flight to Mobile "unless you're the Queen of England." Four and a half hours later we check into another airport hotel -- still without toiletries or clean clothes. We left Napa Valley at dawn on Dec. 29. We didn't make it to Mobile until the afternoon of Dec. 31 -- late, angry, frustrated, exhausted and grimy. Almost everyone we know has a story like this (even if it's not quite as unreal). These are the stories that bear witness to an industry that ignores customer complaints at will while taking billions in taxpayer dollars in government subsidies. Meanwhile, rates continue to climb through the roof and customer service is as bad as it's ever been. While the crew on our exhausting flight was very sympathetic and clearly tried its best, only one of dozens of other people (thank you, Maria Garcia -- the smiling ticket agent who showed compassion for us) employed by our airline seemed to know or care about what we had been through. The fact is, the airlines have never shown much interest in providing mo= re than a pitiful facade of customer service. In 1999, the airlines promised to improve their miserable customer service only after threatened with federal legislation that would have created a Passengers' Bill of Rights. In the seven years since, they have broken nearly every promise they made. That's why now is the time to pass a real Passengers Bill of Rights -- a set of standards that guarantees customers a basic level of customer service and protects passengers from horrific, nightmare scenarios like ours. We believe a bill of rights should include compensation for "bumped" passengers, clear, real-time information about schedules, delays and frequent flier program requirements and accommodating disabled passengers. We also need to create an independent Passenger Review Committee comprising non-airline executives to promptly and fairly address customer complaints. And of course, a bill of rights would prevent airlines from forcing passengers to sit on the tarmac for over four hours and require adequate food, water and restroom facilities during long delays on the ground. Over the 2 1/2 days it took our family to reach Mobile, we had time to do some serious thinking. And we concluded that it's time for passengers to stand up for themselves -- we need a bill of rights. This is one idea the airlines have kept grounded for too long. Tim Hanni is master of wine and CEO of Napa Seasoning, and Kate Hanni is= a real estate agent in Napa Valley. For more airline horror stories see www.strandedpassengers.blogspot.com. Contact us at insight@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx --------------------------------------------------= -------------------- Copyright 2007 SF Chronicle