18.05.12

BY JOAN LOWY

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt described Wednesday a disastrous scene at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks during October's snowstorm, with airliner tugs that couldn't get traction on the ice, frozen luggage belts and other problems that kept hundreds of passengers trapped on the tarmac.

Much of the chaos might have been mitigated with better communication among airlines, airports and air traffic controllers, he said.

The plane crammed with hundreds of passengers Oct. 29 could have been accommodated at other airports if airlines had known so many flights were going to Bradley, Babbitt said. Instead, travelers were stuck on planes, some for more than seven hours, after 28 flights were diverted to Bradley because of weather and equipment problems at New York area airports.

New Transportation Department rules limit tarmac delays to a maximum of three hours before airlines must allow passengers to get off the plane. Airlines that exceed that limit face fines of up to $27,500 per person. But sometimes the lack of open gates or Customs officials make it impossible for airlines to let passengers disembark.

Source: Ct Post