Flight Delay Bill

[Anchor Lead]

It’s a frustration many travelers know all too well: boarding your plane on time, only to wait for several long minutes or even hours on the tarmac before takeoff. In time for summer travel season, the government has drafted regulations that will ban long hours of waiting on board a plane.

[Pkg]

A large number of flights were delayed last month when a runway was shut down following an incident involving a US-flagged cargo aircraft. Passengers had no idea what had happened and were stuck in the cabin.

[Soundbite] Victim of Delayed Flight : "We waited nearly 2 hours. There was no broadcast whatsoever about the delay. Kids were crying and I was so angry. We wasted that whole day."

There were no regulations concerning inflight waiting until now but this will change. Inflight waiting time on international flights cannot exceed four hours from now on. It's three hours for domestic flights. If the waiting time goes over two hours, passengers must be provided with food and drinks and be alerted about the reason for the delay every 30 minutes.

[Soundbite] Kim Bae-sung (Official, MOLIT) : "The passenger protection rule applies to all domestic and foreign airlines. As violators are subject to fines of up to some USD 4,400, consumer protection is expected to be stepped up."

The latest rules will take effect next Wednesday July 20th.