Overview

Responsibility

The Director of Safety & Regulatory Compliance is responsible for the management and quality of the Plan. The decision-making for the Plan lies with the Dispatcher-on-Duty and the Pilot-in Command (PIC) with consultation of the Part 119 Director of Operations, as necessary. Customer Service Agents, Flight Operations, and Flight Attendant personnel will carry out the Plan at the station and flight level.

Code‐Share Responsibilities: The marketing carrier’s plan for tarmac delays will apply unless the Contract of Carriage specifically states otherwise.

Plan Coordination

Seaborne Airlines has coordinated its Plan with local airport authorities and local governmental agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at each station served by Seaborne Airlines, as well as its regular diversion airports. Seaborne Airlines has coordinated with other airlines and airport authorities and will share its facilities and make gates available for use during extraordinary lengthy tarmac delay situations when operationally possible.

All Stations have coordinated plans with their Airport Operations and local governmental agencies (TSA and CBP where applicable) to meet the tarmac-delay rule’s requirements including back-up methods for inoperative equipment and the provisioning and servicing of aircraft. All stations have identified resources and developed procedures that will allow them to effectively bring a plane off the runway and open the door, giving the passengers the opportunity to de-plane within specified time limits. Stations will assure that diversions are given the same priority as other taxi delays, meaning passenger deplaning will be allowed prior to the three (3) hour mark [four (4) hours for international flights]. Individual station procedures should allow a minimum of thirty (30) minutes to complete the task of returning to the gate and deplaning.

Announcements and Communication

In the event of a lengthy tarmac delay, the PIC will contact Seaborne Airlines’ System Operations Control (SOC) to coordinate the communication with the Airport Tower along with the Station Manager, or designee, and coordinate the availability of gate assignment and deplaning of passengers in the event of an emergency.
Announcements are made by the Customer Service Agents when the aircraft is at the gate with the doors open. Customer Service Agent announcements will:
(1) occur at least every fifteen (15) minutes while the aircraft is delayed;

(2) identify the reason for the delay, if known, and tentative departure time; and

(3) explain the possible effect of the DOT’s tarmac delay rule.

Once the doors close, announcements are made by the Flight Crew.
Throughout the flight delay, communication between Seaborne Airlines’ SOC and the Flight Crew will be ongoing. Seaborne Airlines will make decisions while keeping in mind the safety, security, and well-being of all customers aboard the affected flight.

Seaborne Airlines will provide its passengers on a flight experiencing a tarmac delay the opportunity to deplane before the tarmac delay exceeds three (3) hours in duration for domestic flights and before the tarmac delay exceeds four (4) hours in duration for international flight subject to the exceptions listed in paragraph 5.b. of this Plan.

If Seaborne Airlines experiences a tarmac delay, the requirements in paragraph 5.a. of this Plan will be complied with unless:
(1) For departing flights, the flight begins to return to a suitable disembarkation point no later than three (3) hours (for domestic flights) or four (4) hours (for international flights) after the main aircraft door is closed in order to deplane passengers.
(2) The PIC determines that deplaning passengers at a suitable disembarkation point would jeopardize passenger safety and / or security, or there is a safety and / or security related reason why the aircraft cannot leave its position on the tarmac to deplane the passengers; or
(3) Air Traffic Control (ATC) advises the PIC that returning to a suitable disembarkation point to deplane the passengers would significantly disrupt airport operations.

For all flights during a tarmac delay, the Flight Crew will notify customers on board the aircraft regarding:

(1) the status of the delay and reason for it when the tarmac delay exceeds thirty (30) minutes, and

(2) every thirty (30) minutes thereafter to provide subsequent updates and flight status changes (including if there is no new information) to customers throughout the remainder of the tarmac delay.

For all departing flights and diversions, each time the opportunity to deplane at a suitable disembarkation point exists, timely notification of the opportunity to deplane will be provided to the passenger on the board the aircraft. The notification should include a realistic expectation of how long the opportunity to deplane will continue to exist as well as one of the following stipulations, as appropriate:
(1) deplaning passengers should stay near the gate area, or

(2) deplaning passengers may not be permitted to re-board the aircraft (must have approval of the Part 119 Director of Operations or designee).

Requirements of 49 U.S.C. 42301 and 14 CFR 259.4