By then, I hope that air passenger bill of rights will have made it, in one attempt or another, into law. Whether the bills will pass in this particular Congress remains to be seen. But they have been introduced early in the session, to show how important the issues are to legislators. Travelers be able to exit an aircraft that has remained on the tarmac for more than an hour so that they can stretch their legs, use the restrooms, or get something to eat. State consumer laws be used to resolve disputes with airlines.
Passengers be able to inspect the safety records of airlines.
The secretary of transportation establish uniform regulations for in-flight medical care. The American Society of Travel Agents is asking people to write to their congressmen in support of the bills. Send a letter, or, maybe, give them a coach-class airline ticket, and let them figure it out for themselves. My column on the Galapagos in last week's section elicited a strong response. See next week's Travel section for more on the Galapagos oil spill issue.