Tarmac-delay poll results: We want to have our cake and eat it, too

The Consumer Travel Alliance polled almost 100,000 readers of various travel newsletters over the past week concerning consumers’ opinions about tarmac delays. The fact that 87.2 percent of the respondents felt Congress should pass a rule mandating three or four hours as the maximum time a plane is kept waiting on the runway after leaving the gate was no surprise. But the fact that 50 percent of those passengers only want to go back to the gate if they can still get to their destination that day was a little unexpected.

Here is a summary of the poll:

• Almost 90 percent want a law limiting tarmac delays.

• 50 percent only want the law if it doesn’t delay them for a day.

• 69 percent want food and water from airlines during tarmac delays.

• 42 percent want their luggage back if they get off the plane after a tarmac delay.

• 51 percent feel the airlines should pay for overnight and meal costs if flights are canceled after a tarmac-delay even when it is an “Act of God.”

We want tarmac-delay rules. But we don’t want to be inconvenienced but the rules. In other words, we want to have our cake and eat it, too.

It seems that having Congress pass a turn-around rule will end up only making half of the flying public happy.

Basically, passengers want a chance to get off the plane and stretch our legs and grab a bite to eat and then be back on our way. (That shouldn’t be so hard.)

(Photo: Vancouver Airports)