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Klobuchar Asks FAA to Examine Incident of Plane Stuck at Rochester Airport

Calls on Continental and ExpressJet to launch a comprehensive review of what happened

August 11, 2009

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which has oversight over the nation’s air travel system, today sent a letter to the Federation Aviation Administration (FAA) asking the FAA to examine why passengers on a Continental Flight were forced to remain on a plane stuck at the Rochester International Airport for more than six hours.  Continental Flight 2816 was en route from Houston, Intercontinental Airport to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on the evening of August 7th when it was redirected to Rochester International Airport due to severe weather.

Klobuchar also sent a letter to Continental Airlines and ExpressJet asking that both air carriers launch a comprehensive review of the incident.

In the letter Klobuchar wrote, “No passenger should undergo the experiences of the passengers aboard Continental Flight 2816.  I look forward to a full accounting of this incident and to working with you to prevent this situation from ever occurring again.”

Klobuchar also urged the FAA to work with air carriers and airport operators to develop clear processes for the proper treatment of passengers during extended delays.  She wrote in the letters that she will work with her colleagues, federal officials, and the airline industry to enact regulations, such as those proposed by the “Passenger Bill of Rights.”

The full text of both letters is below:

J. Randolph Babbitt
Administrator
Federal Aviation Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
800 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20591

Dear Mr. Babbitt:

I write to express my deep concern about the events surrounding Continental Airlines Flight 2816 on August 7-8, 2009 that resulted in considerable inconvenience and discomfort for the 47 passengers on board. According to reports, Continental Flight 2816 was en route from Houston, Intercontinental Airport to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on the evening of August 7th when it was redirected to Rochester International Airport due to severe weather. For nearly six hours, all passengers were forced to remain on the plane on the Rochester tarmac without food and in an increasingly uncomfortable cabin atmosphere, and were apparently denied the opportunity to deplane and enter the airport.  I hope you will share my assessment that the conditions experienced by these passengers were unacceptable and warrant a swift response.

                As a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation which has oversight jurisdiction for our nation’s air travel systems, I believe that each of the 47 passengers on board this flight deserve a complete and candid explanation from for how events were allowed to transpire as they did.  I therefore request that the FAA fully examine this incident and the actions taken by the operating airlines, the airport managers, and relevant federal personnel and make such recommendations as necessary for how airline and airport personnel can better respond in this type of situation.  I also urge the FAA to work with air carriers and airport operators to develop clear processes for the proper treatment of passengers during extended delays, such as those proposed under the “Passenger Bill of Rights,” to ensure that travelers are not unnecessarily trapped on airplanes for excessive periods of time or deprived of food, water, or adequate restrooms. 

No passenger should undergo the experiences of the passengers aboard Continental Flight 2816.  I look forward to a full accounting of this incident and to working with you to prevent this situation from ever occurring again.

Sincerely,

Amy Klobuchar
U.S. Senator


Mr. Larry Kellner
Chairman and CEO
Continental Airlines Inc.
P.O. Box 4607
Houston, Texas 77210-4607
United States

Mr. James Ream
President and CEO
ExpressJet Holdings, Inc.
700 N. Sam Houston Parkway West
Suite 200
Houston, TX 77067

Dear Mr. Kellner and Mr. Ream:

I write to express my deep concern about events surrounding Continental Airlines Flight 2816 on August 7-8, 2009 that resulted in considerable inconvenience and discomfort for the 47 passengers on board. According to reports, Flight 2816, operated by ExpressJet Airlines, was en route from Houston, Intercontinental Airport to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on the evening of August 7th when it was redirected to Rochester International Airport due to severe weather. For nearly six hours, all passengers were forced to remain on the plane without food and in an increasingly uncomfortable cabin atmosphere, and were apparently denied the opportunity to deplane and enter the airport.  Since this incident, representatives of Continental and ExpressJet and airport management officials have provided conflicting accounts of where responsibility lies for not pursuing available, alternative options that could have prevented this unacceptable situation.

                As a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation which has oversight jurisdiction for our nation’s air travel systems, I believe that each of the 47 passengers on board this flight deserve a complete and candid explanation from Continental and Express Jet for how events were allowed to transpire as they did.  I therefore request that both air carriers launch a comprehensive review of incident and the actions taken by both Continental and ExpressJet personnel. While the reported events of Flight 2816 are disconcerting in their own right, further troubling is that they come after repeated commitments by the airline industry to take action to preventing such occurrences. Clearly, more needs to be done to establish clear processes for the proper treatment of passengers during extended flight delays.  To that end, I will be working with my colleagues, federal officials, and the airline industry to enact regulations, such as those proposed by the “Passenger Bill of Rights,” that will ensure travelers are not unnecessarily trapped on airplanes for excessive periods of time or deprived of basic amenities . 

No passenger should undergo the experiences of the passengers aboard Flight 2816.  I look forward to a full accounting of this incident and to working with you to prevent this situation from ever occurring again.

Sincerely,

Amy Klobuchar
U.S. Senator

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