Airports and Airlines Should Amend Policies for Runway Delays

Traveling seems to have become more complicated and more of a hassle. Traveling is no longer fun. First, there are long security lines to get through at the airport, and then there are the infamous delays. These days, many travelers know what it feels like to be delayed, surrounded by restaurants and somewhat clean bathrooms, but many more of us each day are experiencing what it's like to be delayed and "hijacked" on an airplane that sits on the runway for hours and hours.

The big question is why can't the airlines get it right? I hear about more and more people who sit in stuffy airplanes on the tarmac for not just a few hours, but several hours at a time. I personally don't understand it. And, I am one of many who don't. With the amount of time that people sit on airplanes because of delays, they could have traveled to another country in that same amount of time. Several weeks ago, my parents were traveling from Mexico back to Dallas (a simple two-hour flight). Storms in Dallas caused the plane to circle DFW International, which in turn caused the plane to run low on fuel. Why did the plane run low on fuel in that short time? The plane was diverted to Shreveport, where it sat for almost eight hours (yes, you read that right). Shreveport has no customs gate, so the passengers were not allowed off the plane. Then the crew ran out of their allotted time to be working, which resulted in more wait time as a new crew had to be called to duty. Eventually, after 10 hours of traveling (just from Mexico, not Paris, France), the passengers arrived in Dallas. This is unacceptable. It is a no-win situation for both the airline and the passengers. The airline has to shell out extra cost for vouchers and the passengers waste precious and unnecessary time sitting in an airplane that is running out of food and drinks, and passengers also have to deal with overused, stuffed up toilets. How do we remedy this situation? Passengers are not allowed to get angry on airplanes or they will be arrested upon landing and flight attendants are both frustrated and rude. So, what are we to do?

Airlines should put in place stricter rules for grounding airliners and passengers for more than a few hours. I am sure they are putting in place these measures, but it is still not good enough to ground passengers for two-three hours versus seven to 10 hours.

Delay policies need to be amended and airports and airlines need to figure out a better plan when passengers are trapped in an airplane for more than an hour or two. If there are no free gates, get some buses to unload passengers from airplanes stranded on the runway. Get creative, people. And if you're flying soon, remember to pack some extra snacks and reading material because chances are you'll be delayed and rather than being delayed in an airport, you'll be sitting in a huge metal tube.