"SFO offers aid for travelers stuck on planes"

Saturday, January 5, 2008

SFO offers aid for travelers stuck on planes
By George Raine
The San Francisco (CA) Chronicle


San Francisco International Airport officials announced a plan Friday to
accommodate passengers who are forced to remain on an airplane for extended
periods of time, including making space for them in the International
Terminal.

Individual airlines have their own policies for dealing with long tarmac
delays, either before takeoff or after landing. The airport's plan is an
offering made to the airlines and is not mandatory.

Nevertheless, it is a response to legislation in Congress and several states
- in the form of an airline passengers' bill of rights - as well as lawsuits
and demands by consumers that passengers be accommodated during delays that
in some cases have been 10 or more hours.

Also Friday, Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, said he will introduce
legislation that will require airlines to provide basic amenities such as
drinking water, fresh air, sanitary restrooms and lights when passengers are
held for hours on airplanes in California.

"No one should be denied basic necessities when stranded for hours on the
tarmac. This measure will require the airlines to treat passengers
humanely," said Leno.

There have been numerous prolonged delays in recent years, but two
relatively recent events captured a great amount of attention - airplanes
idled on the ground at Austin, Texas, for nine hours on Dec. 29, 2006, and
at New York's Kennedy International Airport for up to 11 hours on
Valentine's Day.

In a memo to airline station managers and other officials, Tryg McCoy,
deputy director for operations and security at SFO, said the airport's plan
is to have passengers who have been held for hours on planes that do not
have terminal access be given space in the International Terminal.

Gates at the terminal will be used, if available. If not, planes can park at
any of 12 outlying areas and passengers will be bused to the terminal. Also,
300 sets of blankets, sleeping bags and pillows are available should
passengers need to remain in the terminals overnight, the memo said.

"We cannot mandate that the airlines take advantage of this, but we can make
the facilities available to them, and that is what we are doing," said
airport spokesman Mike McCarron.

McCoy said lengthy delays often occur at airports with snow or blizzards.
"However, SFO is not immune to the possibility of lengthy ramp holds," he
said.

On Friday, there were many cancellations at SFO and a long queue of
airplanes waiting to depart in the foul weather - some of them delayed for
hours.

McCoy noted that the Department of Transportation has recommended that
airports become involved in the issue.

SFO, McCoy said, is requiring airline personnel to contact the airport duty
manager to report incidents that may result in accommodating passengers
stranded at the airport.


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