Most airline passengers do not always experience these problems, but the number who do has been steadily increasing. As a member of the Aviation Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Transportation, I have heard from Americans across the country about the frustration they feel about their treatment by the airlines.

It is time we give a wake up call to the airline industry --- passengers have the right to be treated well! I support the bi-partisan bill, the Passengers' Bill of Rights, currently under discussion in Congress. The Passengers' Bill of Rights is legislation designed to encourage better service and make the airlines more responsible to their passengers. Letters from San Diegans and testimony given at a Congressional hearing on the Passengers' Bill of Rights have convinced me that airline passengers need legislation that guarantees them certain basic rights.

The Passengers' Bill of Rights would have been a big help to a lot of people who were stuck in Detroit earlier this year. If you have ever been forced to sit on an airplane waiting for takeoff, you know what a frustrating experience it is -- especially if you are worried about making a connection or missing an important event. Imagine if you had been in Detroit during the blizzard in January. Several plane loads of passengers were held on grounded aircraft for as long as 11 hours because gates were not available. The passengers could not move freely about the plane, and were without lavatory service when the lavatories' holding tank became full.

The Passengers' Bill of Rights would require airlines to compensate passengers if they are kept waiting on the runway for more than 2 hours either prior to takeoff or after landing. The compensation would be twice the value of the ticket and would increase proportionally as the wait lengthens. Let us make sure that airlines understand: our time is money too!

Airline passengers also deserve access to basic information about their flight. The Passengers' Bill of Rights would require the airline to explain the reasons for a delay, cancellation, or diversion to a different airport. An airline would be fined for providing false or misleading information. Airlines would also be required to disclose the number or percentage of seats that are available for use by those redeeming frequent flyer awards. There is no reason for keeping customers in the dark about these matters --- it is time for the airlines to shed some light on their business practices and give passengers the information they need.

The Passengers' Bill of Rights would direct airlines not to prohibit or charge an additional fee to passengers who only use a portion of their ticket. For instance, let's imagine that you want to fly from San Diego to Houston. Given the byzantine nature of fare structures, it may be cheaper to buy a ticket from San Diego to Orlando with a stop in Houston. At present , many airlines will charge you for getting off in Houston and not completing the flight. Such extra charges are unabashed profiteering and unfairly punish consumers.

Record numbers of air passengers are generating huge profits for the airline industry. Yet, as profits soar, so do the number of passenger complaints. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that the number of passenger complaints per 100,000 passengers was 26 percent higher in 1998 than the year before. Among the nation's major airlines, Southwest stood out for its excellent customer service with a record of just .025 complaints per 100,000 passengers --- the rest of the industry averaged a score four times higher.

The recent wave of customer complaints and the preponderance of airline horror stories make the need for action obvious. For many of us, airline tickets are the single biggest expense of our vacation. We count on airlines to deliver good value for our money, and to get us to our destination in a safe, timely, and efficient manner. While we all understand that extreme weather conditions can cause delays, we expect airlines to help us make alternative arrangements and treat us fairly.

If your expectations have not been met, I invite you to write (2463 Rayburn House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515) or e-mail (TalktoBobFilner@mail.house.gov) me your story about the need for a Passengers' Bill of Rights. I will share your stories with my colleagues in Congress as we work together with the airline industry to ensure that all airline passengers receive the quality service they deserve.