Appeals court overturns passenger rights law

Courts to fliers: Siddown, shaddup and eat your peanuts.

A New York appeals court overturned a state law that required airlines to provide food, water and access to bathrooms to passengers stranded on delayed planes. While it agreed the law, dubbed the "Passenger Rights Law" had merit, unfortunately, it's not the sort of law a state is allowed to pass. Only the Feds can weigh in on matters of price, route and service of an airline.

That explains a lot, actually. But I digress. The law was pushed through after thousands of passengers complained they were kept for hours without food, water or access to clean toilets on several JetBlue Airway flights at JFK International Airport in NYC last year. Bad weather prompted similar incidents on other airlines as well.

The law was challenged by the Air Transport Association of America, the industry trade group representing leading U.S. airlines. Can't have passengers getting uppity about basic necessities, you know.

This is just the opening salvo in a widening "Passenger Rights" movement. Expect this ruling to be re-appealed and other laws introduced. If the airlines wanted to see how far they could push passengers before they revolted, they're about to find out.