and that, my friends, is the essence of the problem...because as long as the attitude remains "forget about how poorly we treated you along the way or how we failed to provide for your basic needs- like food and shelter- when delays cause you to be at our mercy for overnight periods- our ONLY obligation is to get you there". Hence, airline passenger "Bill of Rights" initiatives etc. are now becoming enforecable standards motivated by outrage among passengers that airlines treat them like cattle with no regard to even basic human dignities. The same will eventually be true with regard to the rights of passengers to be provided for in cases like mine, I believe - so people don't have to sleep on airport floors just so airlines can watch their bttom line.
Let me just say, the best solution, in my opinion, is competition and the ability for passengers to have their grievances publically aired- not lots of regulation. Look at the ebay feedback system as a model. As long as people know the record of and can influence the ratings of the companies they are dealing with, the system works remarkably well in promoting ethical businesses and sending the scoundrels, like Air Canada, to the garbage heap.
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