I am claustrophobic, and every time I fly a plane my husband has to give me xanax .500mg which puts me to sleep after 45 minutes. But when the plane is waiting or warming up to fly and if there is no air, this makes me palpitate and panic attack sets in. If I was in the plane for 7 hours with Delta not moving, and I have the attacks due to no air circulation, do they have the right to sustain me in the plane even I would like to go out for health purpose?
What are my rights on this? Can I sue them later if they do not let me out of the plane? As I know I go nuts and crazy, if I have no moving air or a cool fan? This really worries me to fly with uncontrollable situations for passenger like what Delta did to them, was inhumane. Please let me know my rights on this. Thanks.

Posted By Carmela Brown on August 23, 2007, 8:59 AM

Dear Carmela,
The legal situation for rights is fairly unclear. You'd need to consult a lawyer with an expertise in this area. One possible resource is http://www.mytravelrights.com/ Another is: http://www.flyersrights.com/ I really don't know what people do if they have medical conditions. What if you're a smoker? Or arthritic? Or, like you, claustrophobic--I notice that, in the video, that they kept the lights off for many of the hours on the plane to save energy.
You have my empathy.
Regards,
Sean
Blog editor

Posted By Sean O'Neill on August 23, 2007, 9:00 AM

Yes, there is such a thing as claustrophobia. In college, I crawled through caves on my belly, in "gunbarrel" passageways. It was fun. But I was with friends. I don't know if I could do it today. No problem with my (always) window seat on airplanes, and I once rode in a Robinson R-22 two-seat helicopter with the left door off so I could take photos. OK, no claustrophobia, I suppose, just the seat belt to hold me in. It was addictive. The end seat in church? Yes, I don't like to be penned in, but I don't go to church any more anyway. Please breathe slowly and realize that nothing is going to fall on you. Except if you're in that church in Peru after the earthquake. But in the plane, we don't have to worry about earthquakes. Claustrophobia is relative; the less you let it bother you, the better. Xanax, fine, but if it becomes your god, it traps you. OK, if the van stops, and I'm on the side without the door, I might ask them to get out now instead of later. I was in an American Airlines jet at Newark on 8/5/2000 in thunderstorms, from 5pm to midnight. They brought us food and drink. I got to Miami at 2:30am and got two hours of sleep in fifty-five straight hours from home to Cuzco. No claustrophobia, just jet lag.

Posted By Bruce Nolin on August 23, 2007, 9:59 AM

Dear Bruce,
Thanks for your comment. I'm impressed that you were ever able to go "caving." I recently toured some caves, and got nervous just walking around inside. No way was I going to crawl through tight spaces.

Good advice to warn people about Xanax and other drugs--which bring their own potential risks and complications.
Happy travels,
Sean
Blog editor

Posted By Sean on August 23, 2007, 10:25 AM

I watched the Delta Delay video, amazed, then realized that my daughters' fiasco was also on Delta! My two 15-year-old daughters were returning from a church trip to the Czech Republic, unaccompanied. They checked in for their flight, were held at the airport all day, then finally given accommodations at the hotel near the Prague airport, and told to check back at the hotel front desk for further instructions. None came. The next day, they returned to the airport, where the check-in employee told them that the Delta records report that the girls are already in Atlanta. Duh, they are in front of you. After 6 hours in LINE, they were set BACK to the hotel again. My daughters think it was a great adventure, I think it is unconscionable to make so little effort to get two 15-year-old girls home! They spent their two days in Prague in the airport and hotel. Thanks, Delta.

Posted By Lisa Gilbert on August 23, 2007, 10:57 AM

Hi, Lisa,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Too bad to hear about your teenage daughters' Delta experience!

These days, many parents are sending teens, and pre-teens, on planes -- and the airlines are not prepared to help Shepard these kids from gate to gate.

This Detroit News article has more info:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070801/BIZ/708010372

Thanks for your comment,
Sean

Posted By Sean on August 23, 2007, 11:07 AM

I was returning from Puerto Vallarta on a Delta flight just a couple of months ago. The flight left late (not the airlines fault) and the pilot was apparently making up the time in the air. I heard an announcement that "We" were being our descent, and being a seasoned traveler, knew that this meant we would have another 1/2 hour until we touched down. 10 minutes later on airline attendant came running down the aisle and tapped the other one on the back (who was assisting a passenger sitting next to me) and said "We are about to touch down!" These ladies ran up the aisle (one to the front the other to the back) saying very quickly "Seats Up! Trays Up" (none of the pre-landing checks had been done) and literally dived into their jump-seats as the plane touched the tarmac. As I exited the plane all 3 attendants were standing around the pilot scolding him for not giving the "Approach announcement" He, of course, said that he did, and being as how I was passing I chimed in that I didn't hear it either.

No one was hurt, so the situation was amusing but it could have been a lot worse. My friend has a son who pilots for Delta, and he said that due to the cut benifits and bad hours, Delta is having difficulty hiring seasoned military pilots (they are all going to UPS and FEDEX) so the incoming pilots are not as experience civilian trained pilots. I expect to see more problems in the future.

Posted By Jackie on August 23, 2007, 11:43 AM

Since this is happening more often do we need legislation that airlines have to let passengers off the airplane if they don't get off the tarmac in a certain amount of time?

I was once delayed on the tarmac for three hours while repairs were made before an overseas flight. It was a drag not to be let off the plane. Those three hours watching in-flight movies weren't bad though. It was the last four hours in the air before landing that seemed like too much. Seven hours on the tarmac? Ten hours? Inhumane! Unfair!

I'm really glad this video showed how much the passengers were lied to.

Airlines should have to deal with the problem during which the passengers should have our freedom, including the right to take a different flight or no flight and full refund.

Posted By moth on August 23, 2007, 12:27 PM

Dear Mr. Hahin,
Thanks for taking the time to post your suggestion.
The gate proposal and the fee also are innovative ideas.
A group of protestors are planning to have a "strand-in" in Washington, D.C., to get attention from legislators.
http://strandedpassengers.blogspot.com/2007/08/strand-in-invitation-to-congress.html

"Moth" --thanks for your suggestion.

And Jackie, thanks for commenting--Gosh, I'm glad your plane landed safely!

Regards,
Sean
Blog editor

Posted By Sean on August 23, 2007, 12:35 PM

Very interesting and informative ... thank you for posting.

Posted By Chris Norden on August 23, 2007, 12:49 PM

UNBELIEVABLE! I say that, but, just can't believe that if you're sitting in a plane on the runway over, let's say 3 hours, that you cannot leave that plane to find other options to travel to your destination! SO...do passengers/consumers need a LAW ENACTED to exercise our traveling rights??? Come on! Not just DELTA, but the rest of the airlines better wake up! More people are flying and getting less customer services--it's a DISGRACE to the USA, its citizens, visitors, and the world! I've been fortunate so far, but it can only be a simple matter of time before I could be in the same situation...God help me! My husband and I are planning to drive more. Idle threat? Not really...YOU Airlines better get used to passengers maybe REVOLTING against this horrible treatment. And you had better develop a protocol to: 1) give passengers the right to leave an airplane if they're sitting on the runway after 3 hours 2) develop ways to feed passengers--regardles of airport vendors closing at 9PM (I am not diabetic, but really, you don't even consider passengers who may have special health needs???) 3) and last, but NOT least, to give TRUTHFUL information to your passengers and ACT on it in a FAST manner...say what you're going to do and DO it--quickly!

How hard is that?

Posted By Lynn on August 23, 2007, 12:56 PM

Great video, what a horrible experience. I hate to even think about it as I am hyperglycaemic and tend to pass out if I don�t eat at regular times. I had the great experience of a very odd delay as I had booked a flight on Ryan Air (my first and last!) direct from London to Rome. However once seated (8:30 am) we were told that we would have to be delayed flying into Rome as the airport was closed due to preparations for the holiday until 1pm (an hour after we were to land) so Ryan Air was going to help start our holidays by flying to Sicily for a sight seeing tour (really to drop off their mechanic). To make a long story short by the time we arrived in Sicily (1:30pm, after we could have landed where we were suppose to), they had to wait for the truck to refuel the plane as we were not scheduled to be there. Eventually they found fuel and had us on our way. We were luckier in that we were able to buy food (very expensive, but better then nothing) from Ryan Air at their normally high prices. We eventually touched down in Rome at 4:30 in the afternoon. Not the sight seeing I had planned for the afternoon.
Is this a form of kiddnapping? If a taxi driver did this I would have called the police.

Posted By Kim on August 23, 2007, 7:19 PM

Airlines are STUPID !! I was on an American Airlines flight from JFK to Miami that was supposed to connect to an American Airlines flight going to Freeport, Bahamas. My AA flight from JFK and two other flights from Philly & Boston were all delayed and landed late in Miami. The Freeport flight took off with only 20 of 60 passengers. The 40 of us that were delayed were placed on the next AA flight to Freeport that was fully booked with 60 people. That makes 60+40 = 100 people booked on a 60 seat plane. Why didn't AA get a 100 seat plane knowing that 40 people were left off the previous flight? How can you knowingly ticket 100 people for a 60 seat plane? STUPID !!!

Posted By Elizabeth Lowe on August 25, 2007, 1:22 PM

In June, Delta kept us sitting on the plane for 3 hours while they "looked" for a spare part, which they never found. I don't know why they boarded us if they knew they had a menhanical problem and why their inventory controls are so lax that they can't find parts. Finally they decided to fly us to Cincinnati instead of Atlanta, our destination, because it was raining in Atl and without replacing the part they could not land in the rain. They let us out in Cincinnati while they replaced the part, but by that time the airport was closed, so no food could be found. Finally arrived in Atlanta 8 hours after our scheduled departure. I tried to complain, but just received automated responses that safety is their priority. This wasn't about safety, it was about lack of controls and poor judgement.

Posted By Melissa on August 25, 2007, 6:56 PM

Hi, Kim, Melissa, Lynn and Elizabeth:
Thanks for getting the word out. The pressure is growing on these companies to reform, thanks to people like you.
Regards,
Sean

Posted By Sean on August 27, 2007, 1:16 PM

Why do passengers sit on planes for hours and hours like the Delta flight for 7 hrs without doing something....surely someone has a cell phone....call 911, the local tv or radio stations,police , the FAA, a friend of relative who can then try to get help. Just don't sit there, get everyone on the plane to be active and be demanding.

Posted By John Hall on August 30, 2007, 1:42 PM

iam from england,and flew over five times, been lucky, but then, that was before (9/11, boeing 747,was the flight,# virgin airlines iv heared was good,,and iv gone on chance, meaning without an appoint- ,meaning space available,and its cheaper, i would like to vist mesa,arizona, what airline would you recomend?and the lest expenzive one , janice , fredrick maryland, oh yes do tell me how is the security. now, when i went home to theU/K, i went in january, off season,

Posted By janice mary taylor on August 31, 2007, 2:00 AM

Dear Janice,
Thank you for taking the time to comment.

If you are comfortable with using a computer, or have a friend or family members who is comfortable with using a computer, I would recommend you use the website Sidestep
http://www.sidestep.co.uk/ (IF you are in Frederick, Maryland, use www.sidestep.com )
Put in your dates, and put "Phoenix, Arizona" for the U.S. arrival destination. You will receive information on lowest fares.
The U.S. government has put in place new rules for British visitors since you last visited. Many Britons are offended by these rules. Depending on the circumstances, you may need to be fingerprinted, and you may have to stand in a long line. If you have any health concerns, let your flight attendant know during your flight, and ask for them to receive any information about what you will need to do to get through security.

For rental cars (car hire) to get to Mesa, try Alamo.com. I found they were the recently the cheapest out of Phoenix's Sky Harbor airport, while still having good "emergency service" support.
Regards,
Sean
Blog editor

Posted By Sean on August 31, 2007, 9:15 AM

The most distressing thing re. these type of stranded-on-the-tarmac situations is the lack of outrage from the passengers stuck there.

Where's the rising up together to demand civil rights of unlawful detention.

Too afraid?

The passengers are certainly in the right, & the airlines are in the wrong. Any disobedience would be justifiable under these awful conditions.

Posted By kendall on September 9, 2007, 4:31 AM

I'm the same way about no air circulation. When I flew from Alaska back to Ohio last month, I wore a little fan on a string around my neck. It solved the problem! Just be sure to take extra batteries for the fan! Now I keep the fan in my purse for when I have to go to meetings in rooms without windows I can open.

Posted By Linda on September 14, 2007, 5:20 PM

We all need to be outraged but, as usual, the culprit is the "bottom line." We have become so beholden to this idea that whenever we are told "we can't do that because it's too expensive" we just say "Oh, okay!"
If the government and the airlines had listened to the Air Traffic Controllers WAY BACK WHEN Ronnie Ray-gun was president and had them all fired instead of listening to them, we would know now that they spoke the truth - the systems are too old, there are not enough trained people, no one is getting paid for the crap they put up with and how much work they have to do! So this is the fallout - and who gets the blame and has to take all the abuse??? Of course, it's the employees; not the guys in the big office!

Posted By Fran Pierce on October 1, 2007, 11:35 AM

I was on an American flight from JFK to LAX in June where we sat in the plane for 4 hours... they DID let us off the plane eventually, briefly, perhaps owing to the lack of air conditioning and the hot, sweaty, grumpy passengers on the verge of mutiny. Soon after returning home, American sent me an email apologizing for the extreme delay on that flight and informing me they'd given me 8,000 frequent flier miles for my troubles. I appreciate the gesture, but 8,000 doesn't equal a free ticket, which would have been more appropriate given the long delay. Long gone are the days when airline customer service was a model of grace and kindness.

Posted By Kerry on October 1, 2007, 11:59 AM

The reason that airlines board the plane even though they know it will not takeoff is that it keeps there on time departure record intact. It is considered a departure ontime if the plane is boarded and the door is shut regardless of the fact it will not actually takeoff

Posted By Norman on October 1, 2007, 12:10 PM

The maximum legal on-ground "imprisonment" of an airline passenger should depend on the length of the flight. After 4 hours on the ground some food should be provided. With a 10 or 12-hour flight, no more than 2 hours on the ground should be allowed. I agree that passengers with cell phones should take matters into their own hands after being incarcerated for more than 4 hours! And if there are crying babies on the flight, maybe 911 should be called after 2 hours!

Posted By Les on October 1, 2007, 12:10 PM

If you have a condition such as claustrophobia and you choose to fly, why would the airline be responsible for your ailment? Should the airlines say people with claustrophobia are not allowed to fly? Airlines can tell people how to dress. Airlines will decline passengers with these conditions if they decide lawsuits are the best answer. What about the passengers that need to get where their going? Should the rest of the passengers suffer if a couple passengers are panicking. The flight would have been canceled if it went back to the gate. I don't know about you but I prefer a crew that does everything they can to get a flight out, over the flight crew that just gives-up and heads back to the gate.

Posted By ERY on October 1, 2007, 12:17 PM

I have been in a similar situation before, only I was 7 months pregnant. It was only a 2.5 hour delay, but after being on the plane for 4 hours for what was supposed to be a 1 hour 50 min flight, it became nearly unbearable. The air was stale, the plane was hot, and the cabin reeked of fumes. Luckily, I had purchased a bottle of severely overpriced water from the terminal before boarding my flight, and that kept me somewhat comfortable. I can't imagine being that pregnant and being on a plane for 10 hours, that is very dangerous!

Those poor children in the video!! Of course they were crying, I'm suprised no adults were wailing along with them. As a mother I would have DEMANDED that they let myself and my children off of the flight!

Posted By Sari Haugen on October 1, 2007, 7:47 PM

I agree that 3 hours is more than a fair amount of time to spend on the runway and that the powers that be need to be MADE to understand that anything more than this is UNACCEpTABLE....I do have to say that the last time I was held against my will on the tarmac at Dulles, the Delta flight attendants and flight crew were very accommodating with drinks, food and information and eventually returned us to the gate so that as many passengers as wanted to could deplane and catch some of the last flights via other carries to their final destinations.

Posted By K . Reidel on October 1, 2007, 9:08 PM

i don't think that anyone should be kept waiting in a plane on the tarmac for longer than 2 hours,especially with flights that are longer than 3 hours. aside from the issues of claustraphobia, dehydration, the possibility of forming dvt from being kept in a seat so long, the bathrooms become overtaxed and foul,the odor of overripe,sweaty bodies becomes overwhelming and people become short tempered.as it is flying has become very stressful and unless one has experience to realize that on many flights there is no food service, most people are not prepared to deal with these extensive delays.there is no more customer service unless you are fling first or business class and even that depends on the integrity of the flight attendants.i would rather drive than fly any day even though i used to enjoy air travel.

Posted By susan on October 4, 2007, 12:35 AM

After viewing this infuriating video (thanks to the sharp passenger that thought to record it) I kept myself the same question: the crew kept making excuses about how long they could and couldn't work according to FAA guidelines. Did anyone think to ask THEM how long passengers are allowed to be detained for what looked like NO LOGICAL REASON?

In the new age of cell phones and internet, a lawyer can be contacted very quickly - did they stop to think of that?

Posted By Pamela Gordon on November 1, 2007, 9:55 PM

On Sept. 11, 2001, my flight from Paris was diverted to St. John's Canada. After a 6-hour flight, we sat on the tarmac for another 16 hours. The crew finally opened the back door and we all lined up to smoke! We had no food or drink, but played cards, told stories, and basically tried to make the most of the situation. I realize my situation was due to unavoidable circumstances (unlike this video), but I think people need to realize that, when a person travels, unexpected things happen. If you're hypoglycemic bring some food! If you're claustrophobic, bring some extra xanax. I'm not saying the airlines shouldn't get their sh%$ together and take care of these problems, I'm just saying that you have to expect stupid things are going to happen when flying.

Posted By Vanessa on January 10, 2008, 4:23 PM

I refuse to fly ANY US carrier anymore.
Fortunately I now live in Mexico and only visit the US so I can fly the Mexican airlines which are much better than the US carriers.

Cathay Pacific or China Airlines(Taiwan) to Asia have MUCH better service, and safety records, than any US carrier and are often cheaper.

There are many good carriers to Europe at prices equal to US carriers.
Within the US I feel for the american sheeple, but as we all know the corporations rule the USA and I don't see it changing any time soon.

Why fly American, United, Delta, etc when you have so many better choices?
Vote with your $$$. It's the only thing most corporations understand.

Posted By Rich on January 11, 2008, 12:08 AM