Air Canada Rouge fined $90,000 for long tarmac delay
Oct 29, 2014, 1:08 pm
#1
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Air Canada Rouge fined $90,000 for long tarmac delay
http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-N...-tarmac-delay/
Air Canada’s low-cost subsidiary, Rouge, has been cited by the Transportation Department for violating the tarmac delay rule on an Orlando-Toronto flight in January, resulting in a $90,000 civil penalty.
Half the amount will be waived if the carrier avoids repeat violations for one year.
The delay was triggered when weather diverted the flight to Buffalo at 10:09 p.m. on Jan. 11. Under the DOT’s rules for international flights, the carrier was required to provide food and water after two hours on the ground, and to give passengers an opportunity to deplane after four hours.
Air Canada’s low-cost subsidiary, Rouge, has been cited by the Transportation Department for violating the tarmac delay rule on an Orlando-Toronto flight in January, resulting in a $90,000 civil penalty.
Half the amount will be waived if the carrier avoids repeat violations for one year.
The delay was triggered when weather diverted the flight to Buffalo at 10:09 p.m. on Jan. 11. Under the DOT’s rules for international flights, the carrier was required to provide food and water after two hours on the ground, and to give passengers an opportunity to deplane after four hours.
Oct 29, 2014, 1:22 pm
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http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-N...-tarmac-delay/
Air Canada’s low-cost subsidiary, Rouge, has been cited by the Transportation Department for violating the tarmac delay rule on an Orlando-Toronto flight in January, resulting in a $90,000 civil penalty.
Half the amount will be waived if the carrier avoids repeat violations for one year.
The delay was triggered when weather diverted the flight to Buffalo at 10:09 p.m. on Jan. 11. Under the DOT’s rules for international flights, the carrier was required to provide food and water after two hours on the ground, and to give passengers an opportunity to deplane after four hours.
Air Canada’s low-cost subsidiary, Rouge, has been cited by the Transportation Department for violating the tarmac delay rule on an Orlando-Toronto flight in January, resulting in a $90,000 civil penalty.
Half the amount will be waived if the carrier avoids repeat violations for one year.
The delay was triggered when weather diverted the flight to Buffalo at 10:09 p.m. on Jan. 11. Under the DOT’s rules for international flights, the carrier was required to provide food and water after two hours on the ground, and to give passengers an opportunity to deplane after four hours.
Considering they were still in the US at the time and were going to clear customs at YYZ, there's no excuse for not finding a way to let passengers de-plane at the 4-hour mark.
Last time I was in this situation, we diverted to YYZ while en route to YUL and they actively talked us out of wanting to de-plane after sitting for 4 hours. The logic was the whole plane would have to go through customs only to re-board for the flight to YUL.
Oct 29, 2014, 1:39 pm
#3
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That seems completely reasonable of the US DOT. Keeping passengers hostage on a plane while you wait for weather is unreasonable - also must lead to heated temperatures.
There must be some logistic issues at play though, airport not being staffed or something? Or are the airlines just not wanting to invest in the $ to use ground services?
There must be some logistic issues at play though, airport not being staffed or something? Or are the airlines just not wanting to invest in the $ to use ground services?
Oct 29, 2014, 3:08 pm
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Like my Rogue experience in YYZ when they kept us on the plane, at the gate with the doors open, for three hours before they finally let us off the plane (only to be kept in the gate waiting area for an additional two hours before they announced a further five hour delay).
Spending that time on a mainline plane is bad enough ... but Rouge in Y? Beyond brutal.
Spending that time on a mainline plane is bad enough ... but Rouge in Y? Beyond brutal.
Oct 29, 2014, 3:35 pm
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BUF has no international flights so where would INS staff come from? How did they let them deplane and where were they kept so as to be isolated?
Oct 29, 2014, 3:37 pm
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Unless I'm misreading something, there's no need for CBP staff... the flight was MCO-YYZ, so they would've landed in BUF while still in the US. I suppose duty free might've been a concern, but immigration definitely would not have been.
Oct 29, 2014, 3:44 pm
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Since the pax have yet to leave the US doubtful they would have to go through US customs anyway. But if they did, BUF has the facilities to do it.
Oct 29, 2014, 6:20 pm
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Wow - that sounds pretty awful, especially if someone was in rouge minus. A ~2.5 hour flight on rouge, plus more than 4.5 hours on the plane on the ground = more than 7 hours on the plane. A long time to be stuck in a cramped rouge cabin with 29" seat pitch.
Oct 29, 2014, 8:15 pm
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Like my Rogue experience in YYZ when they kept us on the plane, at the gate with the doors open, for three hours before they finally let us off the plane (only to be kept in the gate waiting area for an additional two hours before they announced a further five hour delay).
Spending that time on a mainline plane is bad enough ... but Rouge in Y? Beyond brutal.
Spending that time on a mainline plane is bad enough ... but Rouge in Y? Beyond brutal.
Oct 29, 2014, 8:52 pm
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Amazing. The U.S. DOT is able to assess a penalty that can encourage a more appropriate response in the future (Half the amount will be waived if the carrier avoids repeat violations for one year.) And yet, no fines are ever levied in Canada. The story speaks volumes about the absence of regulations which protect air pax in Canada, and demonstrates once again that the Canadian airline market is badly in need of a regulator with some teeth.
Oct 30, 2014, 5:46 am
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Amazing. The U.S. DOT is able to assess a penalty that can encourage a more appropriate response in the future (Half the amount will be waived if the carrier avoids repeat violations for one year.) And yet, no fines are ever levied in Canada. The story speaks volumes about the absence of regulations which protect air pax in Canada, and demonstrates once again that the Canadian airline market is badly in need of a regulator with some teeth.
Oct 30, 2014, 7:03 am
#13
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They announced the delays in 15-20 minute increments, so 95% of the people tolerated it. Death by a thousand cuts because neither the crew nor Ops was willing to make the decision to deboard the pax. (is deboard even a word?)
Is there any regulation in Canada about the max time they can keep pax on the plane?
Is there any regulation in Canada about the max time they can keep pax on the plane?
Oct 30, 2014, 6:43 pm
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You could drive to YYZ in that time...
Also, 7 hour delay from BUF... you'd think AC would've just put everyone on a bus for YYZ. UA did this once on a short flights within Cali (taxi drivers at my previous small hub would love those gigs).
Last edited by DirtyDan; Oct 30, 2014 at 6:44 pm Reason: atroschious speling