A bill is on its way to President Obama’s desk for his signature today.  It’s called the FAA  Modernization and Safety Improvement Act of 2012 and it has some important components in it that are essential for the airline traveler to know.

As you may be aware, there has been a push to get Congress to act on a Passengers’ Bill of Rights over the past several years.  In the past few years, the DOT has increased fines levied against airlines for extended delays, but there hasn’t been much in the way of actual laws that govern the treatment of passengers by the airlines.  Today’s bill contains a large number of provisions that will require both the FAA and the U.S. Airline industry to change, limit or prohibit certain former practices that have made airline travel torturous, at best.

Here are some important highlights that will become law:

• Airlines must create realistic schedules to minimize departure delays
• Airlines must publish and have prominently displayed on the ticket counters, on their websites and on e-confirmation documentation the DOT’s Consumer Protection Hotline
• Provisions of food, water and medical treatments must become available at all times – an improvement over the DOT’s “after two hours” requirement
• Passengers must now be made aware of any insecticide used aboard international flights
• Improved flight delay reporting
• Considerations to be made for Military and “active duty” personnel
• Provisions for educating passengers about which child safety seats can be used onboard aircraft
• Airlines now restricted from charging extra fees for carry-on instruments which can be stowed safely in overhead bins, and that larger instruments must be allowed as checked baggage
• Airports must file contingency plans with the DOT for situations such as extreme weather delays or more catastrophic events in the future
• DOT must create a Consumer Aviation Protection Advisory Committee made up of one representative from each air carrier, along with airport operators, state and local governments and non-profit organizations which focus on consumer protections

A major setback for airline consumer advocates was the exclusion of the “three-hour tarmac delay” restriction, which many saw as a punitive measure against the airlines.  However, the DOT plans to keep its current regulation in place, despite it being struck from the bill.

What this new bill does now is finally rid Congress of having to patch up the FAA piecemeal and get them the monies they will need to improve air traffic control systems in the U.S. and move forward on the latest technologies available to route aircraft while in the air and lessen traffic jams both on the ground and in the air.

Another issue that was tagged onto this bill was a change in how unions can organize on airline properties, one that isn’t setting well with union leaders nationwide.  It requires unions to provide 50% PLUS 1 of the total workgroup population to sign union cards in order for an election to be authorized.  The current rule is 35%.

All-in-all, this new bill will force the airline industry to re-think how they do business and will hopefully lesson many of the frustrations that currently plague the system.  Only time will tell…

While commuting on an airline other than the one I work for, I had the chance to chat with a very seasoned traveler. He was flying on this airline by chance (not his normal carrier).

When our discussion turned to airline related development, he became animated and quite agitated.

“Today, people are just plain savages!” he exclaimed. “People just don’t know what they are doing anymore and they will step on anyone to get what they want and to hell with all the rest…”

I chuckled to myself because I knew exactly what he meant and how he felt. I truly empathize with the frequent business travelers out there who know how the system works and knows first-hand that most of us front line airline staff are truly powerless to get things to change…at least most of the time.  If I wasn’t an airline employee (but could have the knowledge that I have gained over the years as one) I would never choose a career where I had to fly most of the time, unless I was privy to a private jet.

What seemed to anger this man the most was a serious lack of manners that he perceived had infected the public at large. As the baby boomers age, and the X and Y generations move into young adulthood, many educators have noted a shift in moral standards and values; tied to an ever-increasing exposure to violence, raw language and less exposure to parental authority, this up-and-coming generation has shown a true lack of respect for authority, or for their fellow human beings.

These observations have not gone unnoticed among those of us in the service and hospitality industries. Much of what we witness is frustration over many things that are simply out of the control of the person trying to correct the issue(s) at hand.

It seems clear that the reputation that the airlines have isn’t going to vanish anytime soon.  Of the six major airlines in the USA today, three are still trying to sort things out from recent mergers.  U.S. Airways merged with America West Airlines more than six years ago and they still haven’t worked out all the kinks that are needed in finalizing such a large transaction.

In the interim, how the airline customer perceives the airline employee adds a lot of negativity that passengers have felt about airline travel altogether.   But the most plain of observations is how airline passengers treat each other that have seemingly degraded the quickest.  Tempers are high and an air of “I’m only looking out for myself” tends to win out over helping a complete stranger out when they appear helpless.

Many “important” businessmen and women struggle to be first on-board their flights, jockeying for position of luggage space; some wouldn’t hesitate to run over another just to be first or have the best advantage.  I have seen it happen with my own eyes more than a few times!  Sometimes it’s comical – it reminds me of a “Keystone Cops” episode!  And I have had to act as referee more than a few times when these people start arguing over bin space, or leg room or a seat duplication…it can get pretty involved at times, but it’s certainly not the end of the world either!

In the grand scheme of things, these airline mergers will eventually be ironed out, and employees will once again beam with pride to work for their respective carriers.  Airline travelers will always have high demands and high expectations.  It’s how we choose to treat one another that can make or break a trip altogether.

As an experiment, I recently traveled across country in “civilian” attire; the only people on the plane who knew I was an airline person were the crew.  I did not have my badge draped on my neck nor my “CREW” tags hanging from my luggage.  During the boarding process, I found myself helping other passengers get bags arranged in the overhead bins, said “please” and “thank you” out loud with a smile and generally helped get folks settled in.  I laughed when one elderly person suggested that I should go to work for the airlines, I was so nice.

In general, the experiment showed two things happened.  First, the general attitudes of the people around me tended to lighten.  Second, I noticed that others started getting into the act, helping their fellow passengers get settled, arrange luggage and answer questions.  Before you knew it, a completely full airplane was boarded, settled and for the most part happy to be underway.  The flight was pleasant and concluded without incident.

Now, I’m not suggesting that every single flight would go without a hitch, but the great variable “unknown” was in play here because I never notified anyone of what I was doing and this flight was as random as any flight I might work as a reserve flight attendant.  It could have been any flight to any destination, and I believe that I would have gotten a similar response.

As a professional, I truly believe that, as a society in general, we should all strive to return to the days when we were civil to one another.  Dust off our books of etiquette and treat others with respect, dignity and how we’d want others to treat us…you know, that “Golden Rule” thing.

I challenge you to try this yourself and see what happens.  You may be pleasantly surprised to the outcome, AND enjoy the process itself at the same time!