Originally Posted by
Columbia
The dozen family members and friends I spoke with who all had cancellations a) had never heard of the 3 hour rule and b) all were Generally happy with the action the airlines took well ahead of the massive storm, versus getting stuck at the airport. Yes, it's a stoopid rule, especially how it was ramrodded through by a vocal minority and the media. However I don't see passengers as stupid for buying the cheapest ticket they can find. Blame that on management trying to under cut one another in an effort to pad bonuses. Now paying $150 to check bags, that's ok as many travel with furniture.
I agree Columbia as I had wondered if the cancellations were in part due to those concerns voiced in the OP's posting of the article. When I was trying to explain to family and friends why we were stuck outside of Baltimore due to a weather cancellation before the snow had even started falling, I told them about the 3 hour rule and NONE of them had heard of it.
I also disagree with those who point the finger at the passengers as those responsible for low fares. The public will pay what it costs. There might be a few who chose otherwise, but people kept paying nearly $5.00 for gas too. I'll buy the same furniture from a different store if it is $25.00 cheaper or a shirt from one department store rather than another if there isn't a difference in quality, and I'm less likely to pay extra for a pricey brandname (think Pottery Barn on some goods) rather than the same thing, somewhere else - - and I'll bet that many complaining about the consumers on here do the same thing with products that don't affect their daily lives.
I was inconveinenced by the cancellations and it was hard to sit there and watch my few days of leave burned with a smattering of snow on the ground in my local area at the time - -but I understood (or at least tried too) the bigger picture. The airlines in this case seemed to have been put in a tighty Catch 22.
In any case - thanks to the crew that DID eventually get me home a few days later than planned (and landed in that really bad fog (1/8SM -DZ VV001) in Kansas City (and OKC for that matter) on the 29th). NICE JOB
USMCFLYR