Mesaba might have an opening real soon.....
Feds: Mesaba rep, not crew, to blame for stranding passengers
By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune
Last update: August 21, 2009 - 11:06 AM
Federal investigators today are blaming a Mesaba Airlines representative at the Rochester airport for refusing to let 47 passengers off a nearly full regional ExpressJet airliner about two weeks ago, stranding them on the nearly full plane for about six hours.
According to the U.S. Transportation Department's preliminary investigation, the representative for Mesaba, the only carrier staffing the airport at that time, "improperly refused the requests of the ExpressJet captain to let her passengers off the plane, telling the captain that the airport was closed to passengers for security reasons."
On the evening of Aug. 8, the flight from Houston to the Twin Cities was redirected to the Rochester airport because of severe weather at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. It arrived about midnight, and passengers weren't allowed off the 50-seat plane in Rochester until 6 a.m. the next day. Continental Flight 2816, operated by ExpressJet, didn't reach its Twin Cities destination until midmorning.
Link Christin described his experience on board as a "nightmare," saying that he and the other passengers had virtually nothing to eat during the wait 80 miles short of their destination and that the toilet and babies on board began to smell.
The local representative of Mesaba was "the only carrier in a position to help the stranded plane" but rejected the crew's effort to let its passengers in the Rochester terminal "because there was no one from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) available to screen passengers."
However, the department said, TSA procedures allow passengers to get off a plane, enter the terminal and reboard without being screened again "as long as they remain in a secure area."
Mesaba is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. A spokeswoman representing those airlines has been asked for comment on the federal findings. The airport's manager not only said the ExpressJet passengers should have been admitted to a secure area, he also noted that a Delta flight that also was diverted to Rochester that night allowed its passengers to deplane at 3:30 a.m.
The completed preliminary investigation also found that while the crew repeatedly tried to get permission to deplane the passengers at the airport or onto a bus, more senior personnel within Continental or ExpressJet should have become involved in the effort to allow the passengers to get off the plane.
"You know, learning more about the facts of this incident hasn't done a whole lot to temper my anger at the way those passengers were treated," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wrote this morning on his department blog." I mean, there was really a complete lack of common sense here. It's no wonder the flying public is so frustrated."
Members of the Transportation Department's Aviation Enforcement Office interviewed passengers, the flight crew, airport personnel among others. Investigators also listened to audio recordings from the aircraft and the dispatcher.
"This is one of the most thorough investigations ever conducted" by the enforcement office, LaHood said.
As for what consequences Mesaba may face for this incident, department spokesman Bill Mosley said that the enforcement office "is considering the appropriate action to take against Mesaba" after the full investigation is complete "within a few weeks."
The passengers' plight prompted other Washington officials to call for action. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said that the passengers' "unacceptable" treatment warranted a "swift response" by the Federal Aviation Administration. Klobuchar is a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which has oversight for air travel.
The Senate sponsors of a passengers' bill of rights said the incident underscored the need for Congress to quickly pass the pending legislation.
Specifically, the bill requires that:
• Airlines provide passengers with food, potable water, comfortable cabin temperature and ventilation, and adequate restrooms during a delay.
• Airlines offer passengers the option of safely deplaning once they have sat on the ground for three hours after the plane door has closed.
• Airports and airlines develop contingency plans for delayed flights to be federally reviewed and approved.
• The U.S. Transportation Department create a consumer complaint hotline that passengers can call to alert the agency about delays.
The provision is opposed by the Air Transport Association, which represents most major air carriers. The association has said a hard and fast timeframe for returning to the gate could have unintended consequences for customers, including the likelihood of more cancellations and other inconveniences.