Airport Anarchy

Want adventure? Just try getting in or out of Kennedy Airport! Most passengers are stranded there that the place looks like a scene out of the movie called The Hunger Games. The floors are a sea of luggage just waiting for people to claim. Some passengers are on a flight for only 3 hours but are stuck at the airport waiting 6 hours to get off the plane and then another 3 hours just to find your luggage. Why such chaos?

A friend was coming to America from Germany and was told mid-flight that the plane had to return to Frankfurt because JFK “won’t accept us today.” What? No planning there? Ok, Yes New York just had its first major snow storm of the season but why continued chaos? Kennedy Airport is one of America’s busiest airports and should have better planning in place. The snow storm hit New York on Thursday and today on Sunday people are still experiencing massive delays, cancellations and chaos. People have slept on the floors and some balancing on heating vents. Why can’t New York do better? The   newly re-elected Mayor says NOTHING! Doesn’t he care about people’s impressions when they spend money to visit his town?

THERE IS NO STAFF OR INFORMATION ANYWHERE! Why? There is even # JFK chaos lighting up with comments. People have been there for days and all the gates are occupied with stranded people.  At least 12 international flights have been diverted or have been forced to turn around. So even if you are on a flight crossing the ocean for 8-10 hours it is possible that you will have to go back or be stuck in the airport waiting for hours to depart the plane and waiting for hours for baggage. Why? Probably because no one cares. The very rich are on private planes getting preferential treatment anyway.

According to the Department of Transportation Passenger Protection rules delays have a “hard time limit of three hours.” Sure those are the rules but no one cares. The people in charge will just pay the fines. The exception to the rule is in cases of “safety, security or air traffic control-related reasons.” Ok so now they won’t pay any fines because they will just cite one of the emergency conditions. So, what is the incentive for the airports to do better? Nothing!

I agree with the military man Col. Stephen Ganyard, USMC who said that when the management of JFK knew that they were becoming overwhelmed, why didn’t they divert flights sooner? It is just dangerous having people waiting for so long. The rules state that “after two hours on the Tarmac carriers must provide adequate food and water as well as working lavatories and any necessary medical treatment.” I’m sure not a single plane had food deliveries or cleaning crews board the planes on the tarmacs while passengers were being effectively held prisoner for hours on the landed planes. The airlines that don’t comply with the tarmac rules could just face fines from the government. They don’t care. They have big corporate profits too.

Real questions need to be asked. WHERE WERE THE CONTINGENCY PLANS? WHY DID THE CONTINGENCY PLANS FAIL? WHY WAS JFK UNABLE TO DEAL WITH ALL THE FAILURES? Where are the employees to deal with so many people? Where are the notifications posted? Nowhere and no one around to help anyone! What’s even worse is that now we live in a world where no one is ever held accountable for their poor decision making. Maybe the biggest decision to be made is to simply stay home and go nowhere. Sigh!