Airline fines

The federal government for the first time has fined three airlines that left passengers stranded on a tarmac a few yards from a closed terminal.

The Transportation Department fined Continental Airlines and its regional carrier ExpressJet $50,000 each for not allowing 47 passengers to disembark after their flight was diverted to a Rochester, Minn., airport in August.

During their six-hour ordeal, conditions became intolerable as the airline went through available water and snacks and the odor of a smelly toilet that stopped working filled the plane.

Mesaba Airlines was fined $75,000 because employees refused to open the terminal for the stranded passengers, claiming there were no federal screeners available to recheck passengers when they returned to the plane.

The fines come amidst debate over a passenger bill of rights with increasing attention to the lengthy delays that keep travelers stranded aboard aircraft with inadequate food and facilities. So far this year, 568 flights have been delayed by three hours or more.

The industry has successfully opposed federal intervention or legislation placing limits on how long airlines can hold passengers before allowing them to deplane or return to a gate as well as minimum requirements for food and water and adequate rest room facilities.

The precedent-setting fines signal a change in policy by Washington.