Coalition Releases Report Card on Major Airlines

Airline passengers are filing a report card on the carriers they fly. They're taking a closer look at the hours they spend stuck on the tarmac. As you might expect, the airlines didn't do too well.

Cathy Ray's flight was recently stuck on the tarmac for 9 hours. She was among the angry air travellers who joined the Coalition for an Airline Passenger Bill of Rights. "There's nobody looking out for the passengers, nobody," says Ray.

Jennifer Shirconnie travels regularly for business. She says, "In the last 18 months, I have been subject to 30 hours of unscheduled delays."

The group handed out report cards on airline delays and very few made the grade. American, United, and U.S. Airways all failed. Delta, Continental, Northwest and JetBlue were given 'D's. Southwest scored a 'B', but not one received a grade of "A".

The DOT says airline delays are at their highest level in more than a decade. The industry suffered a major blow on Valentine's Day when nine JetBlue planes were stranded on a JFK airport tarmac for up to 10 hours due to an ice storm.

The airline industry says the report card is just a ploy to put the heat on congress to pass a passenger bill of rights... something it says will do more harm than good. Experts say government intervention could make traveling more maddening and dysfunctional, resulting in more delays and higher fares.

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