The airlines, horrified at the thought of being required to give people water and then provide a place where said water could be disposed of after it had served its intended purpose, tried to stop the law but lost when U.S. District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn ruled in favor of the bill of rights.

The law went into effect yesterday.

NY's Airline Passenger Bill of Rights Goes Into Effect [Gothamist]
(Photo:balmes)

• An apology note;
  
• 20% off one (1) roundtrip economy ticket on a future United flight;
  
• One (1) $10 airport meal voucher.

  That is all. Passengers delayed for less than four hours get nothing.

  Even with the bar set high, passengers on 534 United-operated flights would have qualified for compensation in 2006. The revised "Ground Hold and Diversion policy" is meant to prove that there is no need for a "legislated Passenger Bill of Rights." Um, guys, the mere existence of a policy does not mean that it's a good policy. If anything, United's actions show that the airlines can't be trusted to regulate themselves.

  United, however, thinks their policy is a slam dunk and is confident that their response is more than enough to turn affected passengers into "United Promoters."

  The leaked memo announcing the change, inside...

  (Photo: Matt McGee)

Stuck on a plane on the tarmac for hours on end before takeoff or after landing is something no one enjoys. Following several high profile incidents of extreme travel delays in the industry — which sparked interest in a legislated Passenger Bill of Rights — United has implemented a Ground Hold and Diversion policy to regulate the length of ground delays on our own flights to ensure the best possible experience for our customers.

In all of 2006, just 182 United mainline flights and 142 United Express flights had taxi-out times greater than three hours; on the taxi-in side, only 68 United flights and 142 United Express flights had taxi times greater than 90 minutes.

While the number of flights that experience extensive delays is small (less than 0.1 percent), just one of these events can result in a negative customer perception.

United's new policy aims to limit taxi-out delays to three hours or less and taxi-in delays to 90 minutes or less on all flights.

For North American flights that exceed four hours on taxi-out, 90 minutes on taxi-in, or have on-ground diversion delays over four hours, United will consider them "flights of note" and proactively acknowledge and compensate customers accordingly.

Customers on flights of note will receive

* a note of apology,
* a certificate redeemable online for 20 percent off of one United roundtrip ticket in economy class systemwide,
* and a 10 dollar airport meal voucher.

All passengers on flights of note, including employees, with the exception of working crew members, are eligible for this compensation package.

Employees that may be directly involved in flights of note will receive additional details through division communications.

How we handle our customers during operational challenges, such as extensive delays, can make or break our customers' impression of their United experience — and affect whether they will continue to fly with us and become a United Promoter.

We wrap-up the fiasco with our response and JetBlue's final apology, after the jump...

JetBlue doesn't overbook. Now, that's a customer friendly policy, but the $1000 is a red herring.
•Mark spends his days in the trenches writing an amazing blog. If we spent all day tracking the airline industry, we'd be cynical, too. JetBlue doesn't overbook. Think about that for a moment. That's not just "a customer friendly policy." It's an inspiring refutation of a widely accepted practice that boosts airline profits to the exclusive detriment of consumers. The $1,000 guarantee makes it very painful for JetBlue to join other airlines in the cesspool of mediocrity.

Vouchers suck.
•Vouchers suck. Mark is right. His other points have fallen and this is all that remains. So let's consider it as the one remaining knock against JetBlue's Bill of Rights. Is payment by voucher enough to scuttle the ship? No. Sure, they could pay in gold bullion, but that stuff is heavy.

Yes, this is a public relations stunt in response to a public relations fiasco. We appreciate JetBlue, not because their stunts are good, but because their stunts are backed by action and concern for their passengers. They have gone above and beyond.

At approximately 5pm Wednesday evening, all JetBlue customers received an email from CEO David G. "Mortified" Neeleman. By our count, JetBlue has already apologized at least five, if not ten billion times. The latest apology differed from the others in that JetBlue said nothing new. The Bill of Rights has not been amended. The video apology does not now address '70's hairstyles. This was the mea culpa to you, the customer.

What Went Right

• Acceptance of responsibility: Other airlines would have shunned responsibility. JetBlue stood front and center admitting they dropped the ball.
  
• Earnestness: We hear everywhere how we, the consumer, are the number one priority. Whatever. There's something about Mr. Mortified that makes you want to believe. He's the guy you want coaching your apology for running over your significant other's cat.
  
• Exceptional action: Bills of Rights are usually fodder for the media: Cingular's CTIA, for example. JetBlue's document will be incorporated into the contract of carriage, giving it needed and admirable legal weight. We will be watching JetBlue. If they adversely define "controllable irregularity," we'll be the first to cry foul.

What Went Wrong

• Everything else: Remember, though JetBlue landed the mea culpa dead center, this was started because they couldn't get off the ground in the first place.

JetBlue's apology, in full:

Dear JetBlue Customers,

We are sorry and embarrassed. But most of all, we are deeply sorry.

Last week was the worst operational week in JetBlue's seven year history. Following the severe winter ice storm in the Northeast, we subjected our customers to unacceptable delays, flight cancellations, lost baggage, and other major inconveniences. The storm disrupted the movement of aircraft, and, more importantly, disrupted the movement of JetBlue's pilot and inflight crewmembers who were depending on those planes to get them to the airports where they were scheduled to serve you. With the busy President's Day weekend upon us, rebooking opportunities were scarce and hold times at 1-800-JETBLUE were unacceptably long or not even available, further hindering our recovery efforts.

Words cannot express how truly sorry we are for the anxiety, frustration and inconvenience that we caused. This is especially saddening because JetBlue was founded on the promise of bringing humanity back to air travel and making the experience of flying happier and easier for everyone who chooses to fly with us. We know we failed to deliver on this promise last week.

We are committed to you, our valued customers, and are taking immediate corrective steps to regain your confidence in us. We have begun putting a comprehensive plan in place to provide better and more timely information to you, more tools and resources for our crewmembers and improved procedures for handling operational difficulties in the future. We are confident, as a result of these actions, that JetBlue will emerge as a more reliable and even more customer responsive airline than ever before.

Most importantly, we have published the JetBlue Airways Customer Bill of Rights—our official commitment to you of how we will handle operational interruptions going forward—including details of compensation. I have a video message to share with you about this industry leading action.

You deserved better—a lot better—from us last week. Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and all of us here hope you will give us the opportunity to welcome you onboard again soon and provide you the positive JetBlue Experience you have come to expect from us.

Sincerely,

David Neeleman
Founder and CEO
JetBlue Airways

We expect this to be the last we will hear of the situation. We'll be watching as they go forward. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Previously: Point/Counterpoint: JetBlue's Apology Isn't Enough
JetBlue Announces Passenger Bill Of Rights

JetBlue's CEO is "Mortified"

• All non-airport crew members of JetBlue will be badged and ready to go if needed to be called upon
• Increasing number phone lines open for changing reservations
• Tripling the size of the group that schedules pilots and stewardesses

The airline announced a new reimbursement program for delayed passengers, retroactive to last Thursday, February 15.

• Delays 1-2 hours: $25 off a future flight
• Delays 2-4 hours: $50 off a future flight
• Delays 6+ hours: Free round-trip ticket

Fine showing of contrition and immediate action. We would fly JetBlue again. — BEN POPKEN

(Thanks to Michael!)