US Senator Calls Cruise Lines 'Wild West' of Travel Industry; Seeks Passenger 'Bill of Rights' Ken Paulsen - Staten Island Advance
go to original March 18, 2013

From Triumph to Tragedy - This 6 minute documentary highlights the Carnival Triumph before, during, and after the disaster. From the engine fire at 5:15 AM to 4 days adrift, this short 6 minute film highlights the events of those days. (Lance Winder)

New York Senator Charles Schumer is pressing the cruise line industry to adopt a "Bill Of Rights" for its passengers that would protect them from debacles such as the one that occurred on the Carnival ship Triumph last month.

"Cruise ships, in large part operating outside the bounds of United States enforcement, have become the wild west of the travel industry, and it's time to rein them in before anyone else gets hurt," said Schumer. "This bill of rights, based on work we've done with the airline industry, will ensure that passengers aren't forced to live in third world conditions or put their lives at risk when they go on vacation."

The Bill of Rights that he's pushing would be similar to one that exists in the airline industry. In the event a ship becomes disabled, as happened with Carnival Triumph, passengers would have the right to disembark if basic provisions can't be provided. Passgeners would also have the right to a full refund is a trip is canceled for mechanical reasons. Other provisions assert passengers' right to medical attention, and give access to backup power in the event of a generator failure.

While seeking the Bill of Rights, Schumer is also looking at international standards that "are clearly not working" in providing better service to passengers.

Read the whole story at Staten Island Advance

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!