Clark Howard's Tips

February 15, 2007

JetBlue is the latest in a string of airlines that has left passengers stranded on airplanes for an inexcusable amount of time. Passengers on 10 planes had no food or water for between nine and eleven hours. That's outrageous!

And it happens way too often. American Airlines left passengers stranded on up to 100 planes over the Christmas holiday last year.

Despite several attempts to establish rules and passenger rights that airlines must follow, it hasn't happened. The airline industry convinced Congress not to pass a law requiring that customers be treated a certain way.

We need a "Bill of Rights" for airline passengers. Right now, it's a stacked deck against the customer, yet airlines think this is just fine. They think very narrowly about things and end up harming themselves.

When passengers were stranded in Denver just before the Christmas holiday, United provided no alternative transportation to people unless they bought a new ticket at full price. It's an industry that has spiraled out of control, and it needs to change.

According to a recent report card about airlines, JetBlue, Southwest and AirTran ranked tops. Those are three discount airlines, and JetBlue was No. 1 despite its recent glitch. Delta came in very last place with United just before it. The rest of the full-fare airlines were all at the bottom of the heap, just above those two.

Something is seriously wrong with this picture.

Consumer advice courtesy of