Appeals Court Overturns New York's Airline Passenger Bill Of Rights

New York, NY (AHN) - The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that New York's new law, the "airline passenger bill of rights," interfered with federal laws governing the price, route or service of an air carrier.

New Yorkers and thousands of commuters who frequent the busy John F. Kennedy International Airport were disappointed when the federal appeals court "killed" the first U.S. law mandating that airlines provide food, water, clean toilets and fresh air to passengers trapped aboard a plane that has been delayed on the ground.

The Court explained that while the goals of the law were "laudable" and the circumstances prompting its adoption "deplorable," only the federal government has the authority to pass such regulations concerning interstate commerce.

The New York Airline Passenger Bill of Rights was passed after thousands of passengers were stranded aboard airplanes, including several for up to 10 hours aboard a JetBlue Airways flight on Valentine's Day in 2007. The passengers complained of being denied food and water and that toilets overflowed. A month later, hundreds more were stranded at the same airport after a day-long ice storm.

Kennedy airport had the third-worst on-time arrival record of any major U.S. airport through October, behind the New York-area's other two major airports, LaGuardia and Newark, according to the report.

The Air Transport Association of America, the industry trade group representing leading U.S. airlines, however, challenged the law before the appeals court. In a statement, the air transport association said the ruling vindicates their position that airline services are regulated by the federal government and that "a patchwork of laws" by states and local authorities would be impractical and not benefit customers.

For his part, Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, the prime sponsor of the law, said the ruling will not stop the effort to protect passengers that get stranded on flights that never get off the ground.