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December 2, 2008 11:25:45 AM CST

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Airlines Move to Ground Flyer 'Bill of Rights'

Posted Dec 19, 07 10:29 AM CST in Business,  US 

(Newser) – The airline industry is in court trying to block a New York "bill of rights" for airline passengers, which could have a big impact on similar measures nationwide. The Air Transport Association of America is arguing that New York has no jurisdiction to require the industry to provide food, water, fresh air and clean toilets for passengers stuck on planes for more than three hours.

The law is slated to take effect January 1. Passenger advocates slammed the industry for the move. “They will sit there with a straight face and argue against a law that simply says that someone stuck on a plane is entitled to a drink of water and the use of a bathroom,” one fumed. A decision in the case is expected in a week.

Sources Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, New York Times

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Kate Hanni, founder of the Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights, center, instructs participants inside a mock-up to simulated the airplane cabin experience during a demonstration located...   (Associated Press)
With a mock-up of an airplane cabin at rear, Kate Hanni, founder of the Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights, is interviewed during a demonstration on the National Mall in Washington, Wednesday,...   (Associated Press)
JetBlue planes wait at terminal gates at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport in this Feb. 16, 2007 file photo. The legislation in front of the court was spurred by a debacle at Kennedy International...   (Associated Press)
JetBlue Airways Corp. passengers sleep and work on computers as they wait for flights at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, in this Feb. 15, 2007 file photo. A passengers' rights bill in New York State...   (Associated Press)
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