Airport Avenger: Tips and Top Secrets for Airlines, Airfares, Fees, Security and Cancelations

It's bad enough waiting at the gate to board a delayed flight. It's worse, sometimes far worse, to board the plane and then sit on the tarmac waiting to take off. You’ve probably heard the horror stories of passengers trapped on stuffy, smelly planes for hours.

While these gruesome tales are memorable, the actual incidence of super-extended delays is fairly rare (see the chart). They’re usually due to severe weather and/or air-traffic control holds at busy, congested airports.

• As of April 29, 2010 airliners waiting on the tarmac (runway) for more than three hours can be fined up to $27,500 per passenger.

• Smaller airports and airlines are subject to the 3-hour rule as of Aug. 23, 2011. Foreign airlines will have a 4-hour limit before they must return to the terminal.

• The clock starts ticking when the cabin doors close at the gate.

• Airlines have to provide food and water after a two-hour delay.

• A plane may return to the terminal or, at some airports, passengers will be bused back to the gate.

• Passengers don't have to be taken back to the terminal if pilots or air traffic controllers think there's a security or safety risk.

• DOT decides if an airline will be fined and by how much.

In an effort to minimize these excruciating experiences, the Department of Transportation set new rules that penalize airlines for tarmac waits of three hours or more. They say the plane should go back to the terminal at that point or the airline could face a hefty fine.


Airlines must provide food and drink after a two-hour delay, although this can be no more than water and a bag of pretzels.


The 3-hour clock starts ticking when the cabin doors close. A plane can stay at the gate, doors open, as long as it wants without a fine.


The rules also say airlines have to appoint someone to monitor the effects of delays and cancelations, respond in a timely and "substantive" way to consumer complaints and let you know where to file complaints.

It’s unlikely that many airlines will be paying those fines or that passengers will see the end of long delays on the runway. Airlines have canceled flights rather than pay fines upwards of $4 million for a delayed flight. But they haven't canceled flights at the drop of a hat. Simple reason: Airlines are in the business of flying people around. Too many cancellations and passengers will find someone else who can get them off the ground.

Most planes go back to the gate before they hit the 3-hour limit, when the old clock on the cockpit instrument panel hits two or two and a half hours on the tarmac. Of course that can mean a cancellation, if the flight crew has worked past the hours allowed by the government. Or a flight might go back and forth between the terminal and the tarmac more than once.

Delays are never pretty, are they?

There also are a number of exceptions to the rules. If the pilot thinks takeoff is “imminent” he can choose to sit on the runway longer than three hours. It may not be that quick or easy to turn around an airliner and bring it back to the terminal, especially at busy or larger airports where runways are some distance from the terminal and gates may have other planes sitting at them.


The rules say the 3-hour limit does not apply if the pilot thinks there’s a safety issue or if air traffic controllers don’t think it’s a good idea.


While tarmac delays of three hours or more are rare, lengthy delays are still common. The most recent DOT data shows there were four delays of more than three hours in April, but there were 375 delays of two hours or more in the same month.

If you get stuck on a plane in a lengthy delay, there are a few things to bear in mind.

Do Not:

• Make a scene or take out your frustration on your fellow passengers. They're not happy about being there either.

• Threaten or harrass the crew. You may leave the plane with a police escort--not the kind meant for dignitaries.

Do:

• Remain calm and note the way the crew handles the situation, for better or worse.

• Let the airline know you don't appreciate long delays when it's all over and file a complaint with the Department of Transportation.

More tips and top secrets about cancellations and delays:

What Do They Owe You?

Have a Back-Up Plan