We all feel it. Once you step through that metal detector, you're stepping into their game, and once you take your cabin seat, you are quietly giving yourself over to the hard-nosed domain of the U.S. airline industry.
But a recent JetBlue debacle has incited passengers to rise out of their complacency to demand their rights. Such a move toward proper treatment is long overdue and makes sense - as long as we keep from depending on the federal government to solve the problem.
The recent controversy was stirred this past Valentine's Day when hundreds of passengers aboard a JetBlue plane were forced to remain in their cabin for upwards of 10 hours due to weather conditions. The crowd was held with little food, deteriorating facilities and poor heating and ventilation.
The airline, meanwhile, waited for the possibility of a takeoff.
Outraged, consumers are demanding a response, and in reply, politicians have taken up the cause. Two California legislators, Rep. Mike Thompson and Sen. Barbara Boxer, are backing legislative measures. Chairman of the House Aviation Committee Jerry Costello is also initiating hearings.
But such government intervention is misguided and would end in a more disastrous situation, leading to trivial regulation rather than the establishment of basic passenger rights.
While some may see this as a good start, the government does not have either the expertise or authority for such action. In the insight of aviation economist Richard Gritta, who spoke to the Christian Science Monitor about the issue, you can't legislate costumer service.
Airlines should be allowed to shape their services and policies, and minutely detailed standards should not be given the force of law. However, when airlines assume the care of travelers, they are responsible for the conditions they put them in as they displace them from house and home.
While government intervention would likely result in further encroachment into free commerce, passenger rights still must be articulated and ensured.
In the days following the Valentine's Day calamity, JetBlue rushed to give emphatic apologies and to take action. Founder and CEO David Neeleman boldly stepped into the public arena, admitting, "What we did was wrong," and outlining a response.
JetBlue has offered retribution for those who endured the improper holding and initiated a restructuring for better future management. Most notably, though, JetBlue has drafted a passenger Bill of Rights, outlining the treatment passengers can expect and repayment for delays.
Neeleman honorably took responsibility in an industry known for shrugging off the consumer voice. That, combined with his corporation's longstanding reputation for customer care, warrants him being heard.
But admittedly, the corporation's efforts might not be enough. Looking at the passenger Bill of Rights shows mostly a list of numbers, detailing the acceptable wait times and consolatory figures. But numbers fall short.
The document, for example, explains that after five hours the company will work to deplane passengers.
However, it makes no mention of the care of passengers who may be unwilling to accept or incapable of spending such an amount of time sitting in a runway holding tank.
More fundamental rights than the maximum tarmac time need to be laid out. Consumers need to be aware of their basic rights. Consumers need to know clearly when those rights are violated and how to respond in such situations.
Turning to the political giant of our federal government will ultimately produce the inappropriate and incapable regulation of the airline industry.
What is needed instead is a loud and unified consumer voice and the formation of advocacy groups to back it, holding the industry's feet to the fire of consumer demands and keeping those in charge accountable for it.
Reach the reporter at: matthew.bowman@asu.edu.
