Good start to holiday travel -- but bad weather looming

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Winter-like temperatures, clouds and rain started to slow airports across the country by mid-afternoon Wednesday, but Detroit Metro held its own. About 3/4 of flights left and arrived on time, Flightstats.com reported.

As of 5 p.m., Chicago O'Hare, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth, NY JFK reported 30-45 minute departure delays. LaGuardia in New York had 70-minute delays. Newark, facing bad weather, had big delays of 1 hour 40 minutes. Hartford, Bangor, Burlington (Vermont) and Newark were de-icing planes.

At Metro, the de-icing equipment was not out yet ,but with temperatures predicted to plunge to freezing tonight, de-icing was likely, which may slow things tonight.

Metro's Yellow Lot was full at 5 p.m. Wednesday (to check status of other airport lots, call 800-642-1978.)

McNamara arrivals lanes were crowded. Although cars could use the international arrivals level one floor down, few cars seemed to take advantage of that.

Clowns who will appear Thursday in Detroit's Thanksgiving Day Parade greeted arriving passengers at the airport with bead necklaces, shouting, "Welcome to Detroit!"

Meanwhile, it won’t help you this Thanksgiving holiday, but two Michigan state senators have introduced airline passenger bill of rights legislation. It would force airlines that use Michigan airports to treat passengers better when their flights sit for hours on the tarmac.

Echoing a similar bill passed by the state of New York in August, the bill introduced this month by Sen. Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit, and Sen. Dennis Olshove, D-Warren, would mandate that after three hours on the tarmac, airlines must provide adequate food, water and proper toilet facilities to passengers. After eight hours, an airline would have to find a way to disembark passengers. Airlines would pay a penalty of up to $1,000 per passenger for violating the law.

There also would be a consumer advocate as part of the bill. The advocate would investigate consumer complaints against the airlines related to long delays.

"Airlines will tell you that it's soley the jurisdiction of the federal government, but clearly there is an absence of leadership in Washington D.C. States need to press the envelope," said Thomas Wednesday.

"It's sad when we have to spend more time on the tarmac than in the air," said Olshove. "If the federal government acts, then state government won't have to act."

The Michigan bill goes to a senate transportation committee for consideration.

The New York law is being challenged by airlines in a suit claiming states don't have the power to regulate airline operations.

Frequent flier Victoria Marson of Coldwater said she would like to see a passengers' bill of rights, but she would like to see it even stricter than the state senators' version.

Forget getting off the plane after eight hours. She'd prefer one.

"That's goofy," she said Wednesday as she waited for her son to arrive for Thanksgiving at the McNamara Terminal. "After eight hours, I'd be climbing out the window."