US Airways, Continental Airlines and American Airlines adhere to three-hour tarmac rule

US Airways, Continental Airlines and American Airlines have all either created new procedures or altered existing procedures to avoid fines from the Department of Transportation's (DoT) new three-hour tarmac delay rule (Tribune Newspapers, 14-Apr-2010). Under the new rule, carriers that hold passengers on a grounded aircraft for more than three hours face maximum fines of USD27,500 per passenger.