By Nathan Duke
Gianaris, who sponsored a bill that would require airlines to provide supplies to passengers who are stuck in planes at state airports that have left their gates but are stalled on the runways, said the ATA's lawsuit against the state was ill-advised.”It's no surprise the nation's airlines are held in such low regard when they fight tooth-and-nail to deny their passengers a clean bathroom or a drink of water,” Gianaris said. “It is time for the airlines to recognize that their passengers should be treated like human beings and not cargo.”Under the bill sponsored by Gianaris and state Sen. Charles Fuschillo (R-Merrick), which was signed into law in August, airlines would be forced to provide stranded passengers with electric generation service to provide fresh air, lights, refreshments and clean bathroom services for holding tanks in plane restrooms. Airlines violating the law could be forced to pay a fine of $1,000 per passenger, Gianaris said.In a statement, the ATA said federal law prohibits states from regulating airline policies.”ATA's sole reason for filing this lawsuit was to preserve the principal that commercial aviation is best regulated by one source – the federal government – and not 50 individual states and hundreds of municipalities,” the statement read.But Gianaris said that while federal law places restrictions on how individual states can regulate air travel, federal courts have allowed states to make provisions for amenities.He developed the bill following a Feb. 14, 2007, snowstorm which left passengers stuck in planes on runways at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Jamaica for as long as 10 hours without food or water and clean restrooms.Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
