The airlines are definitely feeling the impact of the new federal rules concerning tarmac delays:

“Elaborate action plans, high-tech bells and whistles and stockpiles of emergency snack kits that carriers created to comply with a new three-hour tarmac rule have been tested by storms that buffeted the Chicago area this month. The new federal regulation mandates that airlines give passengers the option to get off planes that have sat on the airfield for three hours. More than 500 flights were canceled at O’Hare on June 23, despite the addition almost two years ago of what the Daley administration heralded as a “bad weather runway” on the north airfield to mitigate disruptions to travelers. A downpour on June 18, accompanied by 70 mph winds, left O’Hare’s flight schedule in tatters: 221 flights were canceled and 328 departed more than 44 minutes late, according to FlightStats.com.”

Read the rest of the story from the Chicago Tribune.

A Wall Street Journal column provides a good overview of the new federal laws concerning airline customer service. The only thing we’ll add is that the author gives a free pass to the government for the role it plays in delayed and canceled flights.

The current air traffic control system (run by the Federal Aviation Administration) is woefully inadequate and is one of the main causes of delays and cancellations. The FAA has been attempting to fix it for years and years with a new system called NextGen. "http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100209_3651.php?oref=topnews" target="_blank">

Read about recent NextGen efforts here.