Bill Seeks Payback for Flight Delays

Airline passengers delayed for more than two hours should be paid for their wasted time, a proposal released by the chairman of the House Transportation Committee says. Rep. Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) proposed legislation to require airlines to pay passengers double the cost of their tickets for a delay of more than two hours, triple after three hours and so on. The proposal comes on the same day as thousands of air passengers faced long delays and numerous cancellations because many American Airlines pilots have phoned in sick to protest pay disparities. Dave Fuscus, spokesman for the Air Transport Assn., which represents the major U.S. carriers, declined to comment.