JetBlue Fiasco Shows Need for Airline Accountability

The recent JetBlue fiasco has re-enforced the need for authorizing federal aviation officials to overrule airlines and call back to the gate or cancel flights of aircraft that are sitting on the runway for extended periods of time.

While I understand that some delays are beyond the control of the airlines and cannot be helped, there seems to be inadequate public accountability to protect the interests of airline passengers. I believe there needs to be a public entity that can overrule an airline and bring a plane back to the gate after it’s been sitting on the runway for hours. Public apologies and JetBlue’s Passenger Bill of Rights are steps in the right direction, but public accountability is the only way to prevent passengers on any airline from being trapped. That is why I’ve called for Congressional hearings to explore creating a system that gives aviation officials the authority to overrule the airlines and cancel flights when it’s in the best interest of the flying public.