Predecessor | Coalition for an Airline Passengers Bill of Rights [1] |
---|---|
Formation | December 29, 2006 [2] |
Founder | Kate Hanni [3] |
Founded at | Austin, Texas, United States [2] |
Type | consumer organization |
Legal status | Nonprofit organization |
Purpose | Airline passenger rights |
Services | Political advocacy |
Membership | 40,000 [4] |
President | Paul Hudson [4] |
Website | flyersrights |
FlyersRights.org is a United States based not-for-profit organization that advocates for the rights and interests of airline passengers. It maintains a staffed office in Washington, D.C. for advocacy before all three branches of the US Federal Government. It operates a toll-free telephone Hotline, an email helpline for individual air travelers and a website with a 'Know Your Rights' online guide. It issues research and policy papers, conducts surveys, sponsors online petitions, maintains an active website and social media presence, provides expert advice on aviation consumer issues to public policy makers and opinion leaders and engages in public education activities.
FlyersRights became nationally known in 2009 after the passing of the Three-Hour Rule. The Department of Transportation supported FlyersRights' mandate, requiring all airlines operating in the United States to deplane passengers if a tarmac delay extends beyond three hours. [5] [6]
It is the biggest non-profit consumer organization in North America representing passengers of commercial airlines. [7]
In 2010, the 24-hour Hotline was launched at 1-877-FLYERS6 (359-3776). [8]
In 2011, FlyersRights.org pushed a rule through the U.S. Department Of Transportation, which expanded on passenger protections [9] which became the Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights. [10]
In 2015, FlyersRights.org drafted and filed a petition [11] to the U.S. Congress calling for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to set guidelines for the minimum distance between rows in planes and to appoint a committee to help develop benchmarks. Tens of thousands [12] signed their names to the petition.
In February 2016, Congressman Steve Cohen, (D-TN), introduced an amendment to a FAA funding bill called the Seat Egress in Air Travel which mandated a certain amount of legroom to passengers for safety, health and comfort. It was defeated [13] in the House Transportation Committee. [14]
Two weeks later Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) also added an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Bill requiring the agency to set the seat-size guidelines. In April 2016, The Senate voted down the amendment on a 54-to-42 vote, with most Democrats supporting the amendment and most Republicans opposed. [15] This Act was signed into law on October 5, 2018. [16]
January 2019 - FlyersRights.org advocates for reforms to prevent and obtain justice for victims of in-flight sexual assault and harassment. [17]
February 2020 - FlyersRights.org briefs Senate Commerce Committee and House Transportation Committee on helicopter safety following the fatal Kobe Bryant crash. [18]
February 2020 - In Flyersrights Education Fund vs. U.S. Department of Transportation, international change fees are upheld by appeal court. [19]
March 2020 - FlyersRights.org calls for consumer protections and much needed consumer relief be included as a condition of any government bailout to the airlines. [20]
May 2020 - FlyersRights.org endorses legislation by Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) for nationwide rules to protect the health and safety of the flying public by requiring face masks and social distancing in air travel during Coronavirus pandemic. [21]
June 2020 - FlyersRights.org calls on Congress to protect aviation safety and restore public confidence in aviation safety following the crashes of Lion Air flight JT610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302. [22]
July 2020 - Endorsed Bill to ensure families can safely fly together, children can sit with parents at no additional cost, introduced by Senators Markey, Schumer and Klobuchar. [23]
Dec 2020 - FlyersRights.org court appeal of the FAA ungrounding of the Boeing 737 MAX, based on secret testing and refusal to reveal the technical details of the MAX fix, preventing independent experts to evaluate its safety. [24]
March 2021 - FlyersRights.org unveils Social Distancing and Stimulus Plan to make flights less crowded. [25]
FlyersRights partnered with Travelers United to file an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court on December 20, 2016, in support of an injured passenger's appeal in Von Schoenebeck v. KLM. [26]
In December 2019, FlyersRights.org sued the FAA for failure to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request for documents related to the FAA's process for evaluating Boeing's proposed fixes to the 737 MAX. [27]
FlyersRights.org has been critical of the FAA's airplane certification process.
2008–present - Membership on the FAA Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee [28] as the designated representative of the traveling public re aviation safety, and membership on the FAA Evacuation Advisory Rulemaking Committee (2019-2020).
In May 2013, in the aftermath of the Boeing 787 grounding due to lithium-ion battery fires, FlyersRights.org, with independent experts, challenged the FAA's preliminary fix as inadequate to prevent future fires or to warn pilots or ground crews of overheating batteries. [29] FlyersRights.org proposed an ETOPS rating of 120 until the FAA could demonstrate the safety of the 787. In 2014, the NTSB would find that the FAA was too reliant on Boeing's assertions of the battery's safety. Meanwhile, Airbus announced it would avoid using Boeing's lithium-ion battery in its planes. [30]
When the FAA Flight Standardization Board recommended iPad training rather than simulator training for pilots of the grounded 737 MAX in April 2019, [31] FlyersRights.org lobbied to extend the public comment period and argued for simulator training. [32] Seven months later, Boeing announced that it would require simulator training for pilots. [33]
FlyersRights.org published a white paper on the 737 MAX's design flaws and the problematic FAA certification process, including Boeing's large role. [34] FlyersRights.org recommended
FlyersRights Publishes COVID-19 Air Travel Mitigation Policy Memorandum, applauding the Administration's first steps [41]
FlyersRights.org Boeing 737 MAX White Paper. [42]
FlyersRights, Aviation Experts Cast Doubt on Safety of Boeing 737 MAX Ungrounding, ask Court to Order Disclosure of Key Documents and Tests [43]
Ground all helicopters without crashworthy safety features now. [44]
FAA declines to regulate airline seating. [45]
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic control, certification of personnel and aircraft, setting standards for airports, and protection of U.S. assets during the launch or re-entry of commercial space vehicles. Powers over neighboring international waters were delegated to the FAA by authority of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Southwest Airlines Co. is a major airline based in the United States and the world's largest low-cost carrier. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has scheduled service to 121 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries. As of 2018, Southwest carried more domestic passengers than any other United States airline. It is currently the third largest airline in North America based on passengers flown.
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Everett and Renton factories in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating but with two underwing turbofans instead of four. Envisioned in 1964, the initial 737-100 made its first flight in April 1967 and entered service in February 1968 with Lufthansa. The lengthened 737-200 entered service in April 1968, and evolved through four generations, offering several variants for 85 to 215 passengers.
Cayman Airways is the flag carrier airline of the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands. With its head office in Grand Cayman, it operates mainly as an international and domestic scheduled passenger carrier, with cargo services available on most routes. Its operations are based at Owen Roberts International Airport in George Town, Grand Cayman. The company slogan is Those who fly us love us.
ADC Airlines Flight 053 (ADK053) was a scheduled passenger flight operated by ADC Airlines from Nigeria's capital of Abuja to Sokoto. On 29 October 2006, the Boeing 737-2B7 crashed onto a corn field shortly after take-off from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, killing 96 out of 105 people on board.
Flydubai, legally Dubai Aviation Corporation, is an Emirati government-owned low-cost airline in Dubai, United Arab Emirates with its head office and flight operations in Terminal 2 of Dubai International Airport, had intentions to operate from the new Al-Maktoum International Airport in the Dubai World Centre in Jebel Ali.
On 22 December 2009, an American Airlines Boeing 737-800, operating American Airlines Flight 331 and carrying 148 passengers and six crew, overran runway 12 on landing at Kingston in poor weather. The plane continued on the ground outside the airport perimeter and broke apart on the beach, causing injuries.
The Boeing 737 MAX is the fourth generation of the Boeing 737, a narrow-body airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), a division of American company Boeing. It succeeds the Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) and competes with the Airbus A320neo family. The new series was announced on August 30, 2011. It took its maiden flight on January 29, 2016 and was certified by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in March 2017. The first delivery was a MAX 8 in May 2017 to Malindo Air, with which it commenced service on May 22, 2017.
Trans Executive Airlines of Hawaii is an American airline headquartered at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii, operating cargo flights under the name Transair and passenger air charter and tour flights under the name Transair Global. The airline was started in 1982 by Teimour Riahi. As of 2019, the airline operated a fleet of six Boeing 737-200 and four Short 360 aircraft.
Eastern Air Lines Group, Inc. was an American low-cost airline based in Miami, Florida, founded in 2011. It operated charter flights between Miami and destinations in the United States, Caribbean and Latin America.
Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 was a Boeing 737-700 that experienced a contained engine failure in the left CFM56-7B engine after departing from New York–LaGuardia Airport en route to Dallas Love Field on April 17, 2018. The engine cowl was broken in the failure and cowl fragments damaged the fuselage, causing explosive depressurization of the aircraft after damaging a cabin window. Other fragments caused damage to the wing. The crew carried out an emergency descent and diverted to Philadelphia International Airport. One passenger was partially ejected from the aircraft and sustained fatal injuries, while eight other passengers sustained minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged.
Lion Air Flight 610 (JT610/LNI610) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Jakarta, to Depati Amir Airport, Pangkal Pinang, in Indonesia. On 29 October 2018, the Boeing 737 MAX operating the route crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 passengers and crew. It was the first major accident involving the new Boeing 737 MAX series of aircraft, introduced in 2017, and the highest death toll of any accident or incident involving a 737-series aircraft, surpassing Air India Express Flight 812 in 2010. It was the deadliest accident in Lion Air's history, surpassing the 2004 Lion Air Flight 538 that killed 25, the second-deadliest aircraft accident in Indonesia behind Garuda Indonesia Flight 152, and the deadliest aircraft accident in the Java Sea, surpassing Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501.
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. On 10 March 2019, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft which operated the flight crashed near the town of Bishoftu six minutes after takeoff, killing all 157 people aboard.
The Boeing 737 MAX passenger airliner was grounded worldwide between March 2019 and December 2020 – longer in many jurisdictions – after 346 people died in two crashes: Lion Air Flight 610 on October 29, 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) resisted grounding the aircraft until March 13, 2019, when it received evidence of accident similarities. By then, 51 other regulators had already grounded the plane, and by March 18, 2019, all 387 of the aircraft in service were grounded.
The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) is a flight stabilizing feature developed by Boeing that became notorious for its role in two fatal accidents of the 737 MAX, which killed all 346 passengers and crew among both flights. Systems similar to the Boeing 737 MCAS were previously included on the Boeing 707 and Boeing KC-46, a 767 variant.
The Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program was established by FAA Order 8100.15 . The ODA, in conjunction with the FAA, grants airworthiness designee authority to organizations or companies. The regulations addressing the ODA program are found in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations part 183, subpart D, sections 183.41 through 813.67.
Many aviation-related events took place in 2020. The aviation industry was impacted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes in October 2018 and March 2019 which were similar in nature – both aircraft were newly delivered and crashed shortly after takeoff – and the subsequent groundings of the global 737 MAX fleet drew mixed reactions from multiple organizations. Boeing expressed its sympathy to the relatives of the Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash victims, while simultaneously defending the aircraft against any faults and suggesting the pilots had insufficient training, until rebutted by evidence. After the 737 MAX fleet was globally grounded, starting in China with the Civil Aviation Administration of China the day after the second crash, Boeing provided several outdated return-to-service timelines, the earliest of which was "in the coming weeks" after the second crash. On October 11, 2019, David L. Calhoun replaced Dennis Muilenburg as chairman of Boeing, then succeeded Muilenburg's role as chief executive officer in January 2020.
The Boeing 737 MAX was initially certified in 2017 by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Global regulators grounded the plane in 2019 following fatal crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. Both crashes were linked to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a new automatic flight control feature. Investigations in both crashes determined that Boeing and the FAA favored cost-saving solutions, but ultimately produced a flawed design of the MCAS instead. The FAA's Organization Designation Authorization program, allowing manufacturers to act on its behalf, was also questioned for weakening its oversight of Boeing.