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-   -   Health and Safety for time left sitting on the tarmac. (https://www.fodors.com/community/air-travel/health-and-safety-for-time-left-sitting-on-the-tarmac-1032261/)

Frances Dec 16th, 2014 12:35 PM

Health and Safety for time left sitting on the tarmac.
 
Etihad boarded us on to our flight in Abu Dhabi and then we sat there for 7 hours because of fog. After the first 4 hours they said we couldn't get off because of the sheer faff of going through security and boarding.
Then after another two hours they did let us off. By now the crew was out of hours.
I've found some Health and Safety guidelines for the US but would like to know what applies in Abu Dhabi. Can anyone help please?

Frances Dec 17th, 2014 01:28 PM

Anyone?

Jeff_Costa_Rica Dec 17th, 2014 01:50 PM

Frances, only 53 minutes elapsed between your first and second posts. It's likely that most people haven't seen your question in such a short time.

It's also very unclear what you're asking. Whose health and safety? Passengers? Cabin crew (you raise the timing-out issue)? The plane flying in fog? Yours for sitting on the tarmac? Explain a little better what you want to know.

In the end, I doubt anyone here will be an expert on UAE flight regulations. Have you tried Googling for the info?

29FEB Dec 17th, 2014 02:09 PM

Jeff, the time elapsed was over 24 hours.

I think the question is clear enough, but who knows - Googling is a good suggestion.

Frances Dec 17th, 2014 02:39 PM

No I haven't tried googling relating to UAE but I turned up US Regs on my first foray. I shall do, but I want to answer your questions.
The health and safety is that of passengers as a result of being on the tarmac in a plane ready to go. The reason I ask is that I developed a dreadful headache soon after we took off . This was totally extraordinary for me as I don't suffer from headaches unless they are cheap red wine shaped ( in which case its no surprise!). Apart from being unable to move due to the pain I thought no more of it until after we returned home I started to think over the whole experience.
Then I found reference to headaches due to air containing fumes particularly in the rear of the cabin( we were in seats 41 K and H). This made far more sense than an unexplained headache in those circumstances.
If it is recognised that fumes can cause this then sitting in them on the tarmac will obviously expose you to them for longer than if we'd been offloaded.
The safety of passengers in flight or taking off in those circumstances was covered by the fact that the airport was closed due to fog and that the crew hours were going to be and in fact were complied with.
Etihad don't have the time to deal with my query!"Due to the large number of people affected we were unable to provide a more personalised service to our guests"

lcuy Dec 17th, 2014 04:11 PM

my guess would be that you are out of luck. Even US airlines will not do much when problems are weather related. It certainly would have been nice if they'd let you off sooner in the ordeal though.

Jeff_Costa_Rica Dec 17th, 2014 06:50 PM

Oops. It would help if I looked at the dates and not just the times. I'm sorry, Frances.

Thanks for the added explanation. I would never have guessed any of that from your first post.

I still say no one here will likely know UAE regulation governing such situations. What are you looking for from Etihad?

kybourbon Dec 17th, 2014 07:44 PM

Flyertalk is where you find the airline experts. I don't imagine you will find rules in other countries to be the same as the US.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/etiha...had-guest-692/

gail Dec 18th, 2014 12:56 AM

The most likely cause of the headache is dehydration. Sorry for your experience - if I am ever in one of these situations, I would be really really angry.

Sojourntraveller Dec 18th, 2014 08:38 AM

Unfortunately, once the plane moves off the gate, the pilot has complete charge of everything including the passengers. Some passengers who have become upset when stuck on the plane have ended up being arrested for wanting/trying to disembark. A pilot is like a ship's captain in that s/he has absolute authority. So be careful about getting 'really angry' gail. The only one likely to suffer is you.


Your question to me is a legal question Frances and as such does not really belong on a travel forum although I can understand you asking here. But to really get any kind of informed opinions, you would need to consult a lawyer.

Since you survived the ordeal, I can only surmise your reason for asking is to determine whether you can sue the airline or not. That isn't a question to ask here.

You could start some research here though: https://www.google.ca/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=...rmac+delay+law

This kind of situation is not that unusual and is known specifically as 'tarmac delay'. As you will see from the link above, airlines have specific policies for dealing with it.

kybourbon Dec 18th, 2014 09:43 AM

>>>Your question to me is a legal question Frances and as such does not really belong on a travel forum although I can understand you asking here. But to really get any kind of informed opinions, you would need to consult a lawyer.<<<

It's highly unlikely the OP knows a lawyer in Abu Dhabi. The people on Flyer Talk know all the rules and regs regarding the various airlines. That's your best bet for accurate advice. They will be able to give you the exact regs for that particular airline/country and link you to incidents resolved and unresolved. They will instruct you on how to appeal to the airline for compensation if applicable and what you can expect to get (sometimes just miles to your FF account).

US rules/laws only apply to foreign airline tarmac delays at US airports. Often foreign airlines will list the US regs and point out it's just for flights while at US airports. They don't list similar regs while at airports in other countries.

Sojourntraveller Dec 18th, 2014 02:07 PM

Flyertalk is NOT a forum for legal advice kybourbon. While there are plenty of posters there who THINK they know the laws, unless one is a lawyer with experience in this field, their advice is no more valid than another traveller's advice.

Generally speaking, an airline offers contingency plans for 'tarmac delays' ONLY when required to by the country their plane is in at the time. If you look at the etihad site you will see they list a plan ONLY for the usa.
http://www.etihad.com/en-us/legal/terms-and-conditions/

If you check their Conditons of Carriage elsewhere than on their USA site, you will see no mention of 'tarmac delays'.
http://www.etihad.com/en/legal/conditions-of-carriage/

So bottom line, there is no coverage/liability outside of a USA airport. But that is simply MY opinion and I am not a lawyer versed in this area of law. Therefore, if you really feel you have something worth pursuing (ie. long term health issues as a result of breathing the recirculated air you mention)then talk to a lawyer, NOT any travel forum whether it be this one, Flyertalk or any other.

Peter_S_Aus Dec 18th, 2014 03:57 PM

Where on earth did the law / lawyer / suing thing come from?

The OP never mentioned taking an action, and merely asked what the Guidelines were.

Frances Jan 10th, 2015 03:07 AM

I didn't pursue this any further here as it appeared to take on a life of its own .
For those who are still interested in my original question, there are further incidences on the link referred to by kybourbon above.


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