I'm fortunate in that I've never been delayed on the tarmac (though that's probably just because I fly so seldom).

But I supported this rule from the beginning. The idea of forcing people to sit on a tarmac for more than 3 hours because of scheduling delays - whether they're caused by weather, mechanical problems, security alerts, or simple over scheduling by the airlines - is dumb, and forcing people to sit for 8, 10, 12 hours is absolutely outrageous.

Yes, more flights have been canceled. But how many? I haven't read the report, but I seriously doubt that EVERY flight that would have been delayed 3 hours or more under the old system is canceled outright under the new system. After all, airlines don't compensate for delays, but they do compensate for cancellations, so it behooves the airlines to make every effort to avoid cancellations, right?

And in the meantime, pax are not confined to planes on the tarmac with no food or water and overflowing toilets for 12 hours.