Obama Finds Populism at Last

Forget health care reform or even a real jobs bill. This is what will get President Obama re-elected:

The federal government will impose stiff penalties starting this spring on airlines that keep passengers waiting too long on the tarmac without feeding them or letting them off the plane — a remedy that will relieve many travelers but mean longer delays for a few.

JetBlue passengers waited for hours to leave Kennedy Airport for Cancun on Feb. 14, 2007.

Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary, called the action on Monday “President Obama's Passenger Bill of Rights.”

The Obama administration took the strict new approach in response to several highly publicized events in recent years, and in the face of likely Congressional action if airline regulators did not respond to the consumer outcry that ensued.

It acted on the eve of the busy Christmas travel season, and just as airlines struggled to recover from extensive weather-related disruptions to air travel to and from the Northeast over the weekend.

Under the rule, airlines that do not provide food and water after two hours or a chance to disembark after three hours will face penalties of $27,500 a passenger, the secretary of transportation announced on Monday.

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People hate airlines. More than they hate Wall Street, more than they hate insurance companies. This is a winner.