Don't Suffer In Silence When You're On Board An Airplane
We've heard those recent horror stories about passengers getting stuck overnight on a plane sitting on the runway. While I do not advocate any type of unruly behavior, there are some things you can do to help yourself.
First you can request that the plane return to the gate. Do this in a polite and orderly way to the flight crew. Do not take your frustration out on them, they have no say about why you're all sitting there. Ultimately that decision is up to the pilot, depending on what information he is receiving from the airport.
If you have a cellphone you can call your airline's customer service number or frequent flier hotline and complain. Do this in a calm, collected manner. Give as much information as possible over the phone; your flight number, time of departure, how long you've been sitting there, etc. Don't scream your displeasure into the phone. Ask other passengers to make calls as well, but remember to be calm and polite.
If you have a connecting flight that you are in danger of missing, call customer service and re-book your next flight.
But if there is a medical emergency onboard, notify the flight crew immediately!
Are you entitled to anything from the airline if your are inconvenienced? That changes from airline to airline, so it's best to go to your airline's website and check their contract of carriage, which outlines its responsibilities to customers.
Remember, never, never never take matters into your own hands, you can be arrested on the spot and will definitely miss your flight.
Right now there is no law or rule mandating that you be allowed to get off a plane after a specific time period, but stuff is in the works.
Legislation has been introduced in the Senate that would require planes delayed more then three hours to return to a gate. Plus a rule has also been proposed by the Department of Transportation that would require airlines to have a contingency plan for lengthy runway delays.
Getting stuck on a runway doesn't mean having to suffer in silence.
Comments: 2
When I went to England, I had to wait 4 hours for the plane to take off. It was a nightmare. And when I came home, it was suppose to be a direct flight, but we had to stop 3 times. That was unpleasant too. But, what can you do? Someone on the plane got nasty and he got pulled off. This was long before 911. I do fly, but I don't like to. I am going to New Mexico next month, and I'm just hoping it will be ok, even though I have to change planes in Dallas. I don't like to fly out of LaGuadia, because the runway is too short, however on this trip, I will have to. I prefer JKF. And, of course, before you fly anywhere, you see a barrage of airplane disasters on TV. Bad for the nervous system.
Just adding to the above comment I made about flying. I didn't know it, but there was a plane crash just before I landed at JFK, back in the 80's, Nobody knew anything until we landed on the ground. My plane was up in the air for a long time. It was a Mexican Airliner that crashed, just before we had to land. Scary.