Aggrieved travelers of the world, take heart: a new campaign is in the works to try to put an end to flights that are delayed for hours and hours.
The Campaign for On-Time Flights, a project of labor activist group Unite Here, is looking to gather support to push airlines to make gate improvements, which the group believes would help stop delays.
The campaign’s website claims 1 in 4 flights were delayed or cancelled in 2014. It also notes that between 2012 and 2014, American Airlines saw a 66% jump in the percentage of flight delays, United a 73% increase and Delta a whopping 124% uptick.
From the Campaign:
Every airline ticket includes money to make airport improvements. Think better runways, more gates. Think less waiting in lines on the tarmac for what feels like too long.
Right now, the federal government doesn’t let airports set the Passenger Facility Charge on their own. The federal government puts a cap on it, and that cap hasn’t gone up in a long time — since Bill Clinton was president!
Airports are trying to get permission to increase it to keep up with travel demand – to avoid Thanksgiving-like travel every day – but airlines and their team of lobbyists are trying to stop them. That doesn’t make any sense.
The campaign site includes a petition to be given to Congress.