Washington, DC—U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) today announced that the Senate Commerce Committee has included their Airline Passengers Bill of Rights language in the bipartisan draft Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill.

Last month, the Committee held a hearing on their legislation, which was introduced in February in response to recent incidents where passengers were locked in grounded planes for up to 11 hours. The legislation would ensure that travelers are not unnecessarily trapped on airplanes or deprived of food, water or adequate restrooms.

Senator Boxer said, “I am so pleased that the Commerce Committee has recognized the need for this important legislation. We all understand that flights get delayed and bad weather happens, but no one should be held hostage on an airplane for hours without food, safe drinking water or functioning restrooms. I hope that the airlines will do right by their customers and develop their own plans to keep passengers safe and comfortable. But if they don’t, this legislation will ensure that passengers are protected.”

“This is great news for America’s traveling public and I am so pleased that the Commerce Committee finds this legislation as valuable as Senator Boxer and I do,” said Senator Snowe. “Like many Americans, I was disheartened to hear of the outrageous conditions many passengers faced when traveling this past winter. This critical piece of legislation will ensure that air carriers live up to their responsibility to appropriately provide for their customers in good weather and in bad.”

The language included by the Committee requires air carriers to develop and submit to the Secretary of Transportation their own plan, incorporating medical considerations, to ensure that passengers are provided a clear timeframe under which they will be permitted to deplane a delayed aircraft. The Secretary is required to make the plans available to the public. In the absence of such a plan, passengers would have the option of safely deplaning a grounded aircraft three hours after the plane door has closed. This option would be provided every three hours that the plane continues to sit on the ground.

The legislation also requires airlines to provide passengers with necessary services such as food, potable water and adequate restroom facilities while a plane is delayed on the ground.

The legislation provides two exceptions to the three-hour option. The pilot may decide to not allow passengers to deplane if he or she reasonably believes their safety or security would be at risk due to extreme weather or other emergencies. Alternately, if the pilot reasonably determines that the flight will depart within 30 minutes after the three hour period, he or she can delay the deplaning option for an additional 30 minutes.

Boxer said, “I thank Chairman Inouye and the entire Committee for moving so quickly on this matter. The doubters have been proven wrong.”