Tapping into the JetBlue hoopla, MSNBC travel columnist Christopher Elliott responded today to one Vinit Desai, who had sit through 30 hours of delays after his scheduled American Airlines SF-to-Chicago flight was canceled because of weather. Desai wanted to know why AA agents attended to passengers booked on later delayed flights before him, and why, it seemed, that help was being meted out so unevenly. The sad answer? According to AA, those other passengers were on flights delayed by “mechanical problems” – basically anything an airline will cop to being at fault for. Most airlines’ conditions of carriage include a section called Rule 240, which stipulates all sorts of protections – hotels, meal vouchers, compensation – for passengers stranded or delayed by operational screw-up. Those inconvenienced by an “act of god,” however, like the ice storm that recently put most of JetBlue’s planes and staff into the deep freeze, generally aren’t guaranteed anything. In Desai’s case, though his initial delay was caused by weather, mechanical problems on other flights prevented agents from getting him back en route for 30 hours. Where’s the justice in that? Though the form it may take is still kind of vague, a proposed Bill of Rights for air travelers might help passengers in similar situations, who have been seriously delayed by a combination of both Force Majeure and Force Stupide.

– “You call that a weather delay?” (MSNBC)
– “ASTA responds to call for passenger Bill of Rights” (Travel Daily news)
– “JetBlue Unveils “Passengers Bill Of Rights”” (Consumer Affairs)
– “JetBlue Tries to Straighten Its Wings” (NPR Podcast)