Time is money

And the time limit the Transportation Department has imposed on the airlines is three hours. Three hours as in how long the airline can keep you on a delayed airplane on the tarmac. We're all heard the horror stories of people being held hostage on a plane for hours and hours. The DOT didn't just say three hours, it said three hours and the airline gets fined $27,500.00 dollars for each passenger on board the delayed/stranded plane.

People who support the passengers bill of rights say it's a victory. The airlines claim it will cause cancelled flights rather than delays. A passenger I interviewed for the story today worries that airlines will just pass the cost of the fines on to the passengers via more baggage fees. I'm torn. If I got stranded on a tarmac for more than three hours I would vote with my feet and simply not fly that particular airline. The government reaps the reward of the $27,500.00 while the passenger gets nothing other than another delay or now, if you can believe the airlines, a cancelled flight.