Nov 18, 2007
This bill, Senate Bill 912, along with Sen. Olshove's Senate Bill 911, would give airline passengers some relief when they are stranded by the airline industry.
Our two bills would require passengers who have been on board a plane for more than three hours to have access to adequate food and drinking water, fresh air, lights and waste removal service;
Allow passengers who have been on board a plane for an extended period of time, but have not departed for their destination, to exit without forfeiture of their fare or ticket. The airline must allow the passenger to fly on the next similar route;
Establish a Consumer Airline Advocate, appointed by the governor to work with the attorney general to enforce Michigan’s Airline Passenger Bill of Rights;
Allow the Consumer Airline Advocate to confirm whether a plane was canceled by weather or mechanical/ personal cancellation and determine if proper compensation and accommodations were provided by the airline.
This is his vblog
Below is his press release on the topic:
Airline Passengers Have Greater Rights Under Thomas And Olshove Bills DETROIT-- Declaring that anyone who is a passenger on a commercial airplane deserves certain consumer protections, Sen. Buzz Thomas (D-Detroit) and Dennis Olshove (D-Warren) are calling on the Michigan Senate to support their bill package that would create an airline passenger Bill of Rights.
Senate Bill 911, sponsored by Sen. Olshove, provides certain rights for commercial airline passengers within the airport and establishes the role of an Airline Consumer Advocate.
The bill would: Require passengers who have been on board a plane for more than three hours to have access to adequate food and drinking water, fresh air, lights and waste removal service;
Allow passengers who have been on board a plane for an extended period of time, but have not departed for their destination, to exit without forfeiture of their fare or ticket. The airline must allow the passenger to fly on the next similar route;
Establish a Consumer Airline Advocate, appointed by the governor to work with the attorney general to enforce Michigan’s Airline Passenger Bill of Rights;
Allow the Consumer Airline Advocate to confirm whether a plane was canceled by weather or mechanical/ personal cancellation and determine if proper compensation and accommodations were provided by the airline.
“When you purchase your airline ticket, you should have the right to get to your destination without unneeded delay and discomfort,” Olshove said.
Senate Bill 912, sponsored by Sen. Thomas, requires airline carriers to file an annual summary report of their activities, develop initiatives that improve service, provide a record of the most serious problems encountered by customers and establishes a civil fine of up to $1,000 per passenger that a violator could be ordered to pay.
“There are too many stories of people being stuck on planes for hours, of people not being afforded the flexibility to get to their destination when airlines screw up, and of people being treated like cattle by the industry,” Thomas said. “I want fliers to have more rights and I want airlines tickets to come with a Bill of Rights.”
For more information, visit this page