Playing the game of airline roulette

Two weekends ago, United Airlines canceled several hundred flights when a daisy chain of thunderstorms disrupted its operations.

Later that week, the world's largest airline announced it was pre-emptively scrubbing almost 2,000 flights for September, about 3 percent of its operating schedule. This time, it cited staffing problems, overtime issues similar to those that caused the cancellation of dozens of US Airways flights last year at this time.

It's ironic that an airline significantly owned by its employees can't resolve these issues without inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of passengers. It's also clear that unreliable schedules are making flying an increasingly problematic proposition, and not just for United. Quite simply, more and more travelers are arriving at the airport to discover that their flight has been delayed for hours or canceled entirely. Flying these days can be an adventure in frustration.

Anecdotal evidence and recent letters from readers indicate these service and schedule problems are by no means limited to United. The airlines say they'll get you where you're going on time, but they don't guarantee it. In fact, other than in cases of denied boarding, they are under no obligation to provide passengers with any compensation or amenities for not getting them to their destination on time, or anywhere close.

PG reader Kathy Jones wrote to report that she had recently endured nearly five hours of delays during a US Airways connection in Philadelphia on her way home to Pittsburgh. Half of that time was spent on the plane. She asked if there's a limit to how long passengers can be kept on the runway.

"Are air passengers virtual prisoners like this?" she asks. "Do personal rights stop when boarding a plane?"

The short answer: Legally no, but effectively, yes.

There are no federal regulations limiting how long passengers can be kept on a plane. From the moment the cabin door is closed, the plane's captain is legally in charge of the aircraft and everyone on it. Although air-traffic controllers still determine when the flight can actually depart, the captain makes the final decision about most other matters.

As a general rule, the captain's primary concern is to get the plane safely off the ground as soon as clearance is received, so that it can reach its destination as close to schedule as possible. Returning to the departure gate, assuming one is available, would put the flight at risk of losing its departure slot. Thus, unless it's necessitated by a mechanical problem or bona fide medical emergency, commercial airliners almost never return to the departure gate, and passengers have no legal basis to insist otherwise.

For what it's worth, as part of their "12-Point Commitment to Service" made last fall, the airlines have promised to "make every reasonable effort to provide food, water, restroom facilities and access to medical treatment for onboard passengers who are on the ground for an extended period without access to the terminal."

According to a US Airways spokesman, its policy is for the captain to provide status updates to passengers every 15 minutes during a delay, whether there's anything new to report or not. Passengers are also supposed to have access to bathrooms and be given drinking water, although not other beverages or food, because, the reasoning goes, serving it might interfere with the plane's ability to leave quickly.

Sufficient air conditioning and ventilation are to be maintained to provide passenger comfort, although here again, the captain can decide to cut the engines to conserve fuel. They claim that's done less for cost reasons than to avoid depleting the fuel tanks so much that they'd have to have be refilled prior to take-off, also putting them at risk for losing the departure slot.

Delays before you get on the plane are no less exasperating, although you can at least walk around and forage for food, drink, fresh air and, in the event your flight is canceled outright, another flight or a bed for the night. That can be small consolation, as another recent example demonstrates.

My wife and 12-year-old son recently had a trip from hell. On a trip to the Outer Banks, they were booked on US Airways nonstops from Pittsburgh to Norfolk, Va., and back, normally flights of about an hour each way.

On the flight down, the plane left an hour late, and when it reached cruising altitude 10 minutes later, all the oxygen masks dropped down. There was one quick announcement that the plane had lost its cabin pressure and would have to return to Pittsburgh. Although there was no danger of crashing, everyone was instructed to put on the masks and sit tight. They said there were no other announcements until the plane had landed. Passengers and luggage had to be transferred to another aircraft, and they finally arrived at Norfolk more than four hours late, missing the last limo transfer that day.

Joined by my mother-in-law on their return trip 10 days later, they arrived at the airport to discover that the flight scheduled to depart at 6 p.m. was delayed for an hour. The hour stretched into four before the flight was canceled outright. Weather-related problems were the stated reason, although the weather in both Norfolk and Pittsburgh was fine for flying. Storms in New Jersey were preventing flights from taking off there. When one arrived, a decision was made to send it straight to Dayton, Ohio, eliminating the scheduled stop in Pittsburgh.

With no other Pittsburgh departures that night, the remaining passengers were offered two options. One was to take a connection that routed them through Charlotte, N.C., that would get them home sometime after midnight. The other was a US Airways flight the next morning.

Realizing the likelihood of everything not going as scheduled and not wishing to be stranded in Charlotte, my wife decided to spend the night in Norfolk. She was surprised and disappointed to learn, however, that the only amenity US Airways would provide was a phone card. Since the cancellation was weather-related, the airline's policy is to provide no meals or accommodations for stranded passengers, unless there were truly extenuating circumstances. For most passengers, the choice was pay for a hotel room or sleep in the airport.

So the three of them schlepped to a nearby hotel, where they spent five hours before having to go back to the airport. To compensate them for their inconvenience, they were upgraded to first class. Unfortunately, the plane that was scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. didn't take off until 9:30.

All told, their two one-hour trips had taken them five and 17 hours, respectfully.

Other readers have registered similar complaints about being held hostage by the airlines during rolling delays that kept them lingering at the gate without accurate information about the true status of the flight. One noted that passengers are treated like mushrooms, covered with manure and kept in the dark.

Well, the airlines also addressed this issue as part of their 12-Point Customer Commitment plans, when they promised to "establish and implement policies and procedures for notifying customers at the airport and onboard affected aircraft of information regarding delays, diversions and cancellations in a timely manner. In addition, it will establish and implement policies for accommodating passengers who are delayed overnight. A clear and concise statement of airlines' policies in these respects will also be made available to customers."

Right!

This is not meant to be an indictment of the airlines. Numerous and complex factors are behind these delays, and the airlines and their employees are working hard to correct the situation. As many as 60 percent of flights take off and land as scheduled.

But there's no telling when you'll find yourself in that other 40 percent.

So until and unless the various kinks are worked out of the nation's airways, the best advice is to plan for such inconveniences, or at least not be surprised when they occur.

Instead of traveling with an electronic ticket, get a paper one, so you'll be better prepared to react to changes. Have a cell phone to avoid stampedes at public phones when flights are delayed. Never get onto a plane without plenty of reading material, and bring some snacks to tide yourself over, just in case. Who knows, it might also be wise to bring along a sleeping bag and air mattress.