Schumer calls for airline passenger ‘bill of rights’

New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer wants to make sure airline passengers never again have to endure the the discomfort of an extended flight delay stuck aboard a plane.

The second-term senator and state Assemblyman Michael Gianaris are urging the U.S. Congress to pass a “passenger bill of rights” that would guarantee passengers delayed on the runway receive food, water, and restroom visits.

“The airlines can’t just treat you as if you’re a piece of luggage they can throw on the plane and can sit there forever,” Schumer said according to WNYC radio.

Last Friday, 100 passengers at New York’s JFK airport waited six hours on the runway for their plane to depart for Minnesota.