Group can't agree on how long is too long

Recommendations from a year-old federal task force have failed to come up with any significant or enforceable rules governing how airlines must treat passengers when their flight is held on the ground for an inordinately long time. Instead, the 36-member panel – which was dominated by representatives of airlines and airports – merely suggested some guidelines that airlines and airports might want to consider for such situations – e.g., providing situation updates to passengers every 15 minutes; maintaining a secure airport area for passengers on diverted overseas flights so they don’t have to go through security again; making “reasonable efforts” to keep restrooms clean, etc. Consumer advocates on the panel expressed their disappointment with the group’s failure to recommend anything with teeth in it – i.e., anything that the Transportation Department could impose on airlines with some kind of enforcement provisions. They also noted that the panel wasn’t even able to agree on what constitutes an unreasonably long ground delay.