Study: Tarmac delay rules leading to more flight cancellations

Federal rules that prohibit airlines from keeping passengers trapped on airplanes that do not take off for longer than three hours are leading to more flight cancellations by U.S. airlines, according to a new study. 

The study, conducted by Dartmouth University, found that the Federal Aviation Administration’s 2010 Tarmac Delay Rule has fulfilled its intended purpose of reducing lengthy delays for airline passengers on airport tarmacs. 

But the rules have also lead to an increase in the frequency of flight cancellations as airlines try to avoid hefty fines for keeping passengers on planes that are not able to take off, the study found.  

{mosads}”Comparing the actual flight schedule and delay data after the Tarmac Delay Rule was in effect with that before, we find that the Rule has been highly effective in reducing the frequency of occurrence of long tarmac times,” the authors of the study wrote in an abstract of their research. 

“However, another significant effect of the rule has been the rise in flight cancellation rates,” the abstract continued. “Cancellations result in passengers requiring rebooking, and often lead to extensive delay in reaching their final destinations.” 

The tarmac rule was one of a number of passenger protections that was put in place by the Obama administration in the president’s first term in an effort to protect airline passengers. 

Other rules include requirements that airlines refund baggage fees that are collected for luggage that is lost and include fees in ticket price quotes that it provides to passengers. 

Airlines have tried to convince Congress to reverse the advertising rules. 

The authors of the study on flight cancellations said the tarmac delay rule could be tweaked to reduce the amount of inconvenience that is experienced by airline passengers. 

“Through extensive scenario analyses, we conclude that a better balance between the conflicting objectives of reducing the frequency of long tarmac times and reducing total passenger delays can be achieved through a modified version of the existing rule,” the authors wrote. 

“This modified version involves increasing the tarmac time limit to 3.5 [hours] and only applying the rule to flights with planned departure times before 5 p.m.,” the author’s continued. 

“Finally, in order to implement the Rule more effectively, we suggest the tarmac time limit to be defined in terms of the time when the aircraft begin returning to the gate instead of being defined in terms of the time when passengers are allowed to deplane,” they concluded.