Passengers

FERNDALE -- Two passengers suffered smoke inhalation in an electrical fire aboard a Central Light Rail Line car during yesterday's evening rush hour, a Mass Transit Administration spokesman said.Anthony Brown, the spokesman, said the southbound train, heading for the Ferndale station, was nearing Broadview Boulevard about 4: 45 p.m. when passengers reported flames, smoke and sparks in one of the cars. The train, which carried 60 to 80 passengers, stopped and firefighters from area stations quickly extinguished the fire, said Battalion Chief Gary Sheckells of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.

Ten passengers received medical treatment for respiratory and eye irritations last night after complaining of an odor and burning sensation at a Baltimore-Washington International Airport ticket counter. The incident forced the closing of the America West and AirTran ticket counters about 7 p.m. while Maryland Transportation Authority police, assisted by dogs, tried to find the source of the problem. It was believed to be pepper spray from checked luggage, but the dogs turned up nothing, said BWI spokeswoman Melanie Miller.

USAir Group Inc. reported yesterday that the growth of passenger volume slowed in October, stemming from passenger reaction to the crash of Flight 427 outside Pittsburgh in September.The Arlington, Va.-based carrier said it carried 5.05 million passengers last month compared with 4.92 million in October 1993, representing a 2.7 percent increase.By comparison, the number of USAir passengers grew 7.8 percent in September and 14.5 percent in August over the comparable months in 1993 as low fares lured an increasing number of travelers.

WASHINGTON -- With several Supreme Court justices acting much like interested air travelers, the court spent an hour yesterday exploring the legal rights of disappointed or angry passengers who want to sue airlines.A lively hearing before the court focused on American Airlines' claim that it should be immune to state court lawsuits for cutting the earned mileage of passengers when it revamped its "frequent flier" program six years ago.Passengers who take part in that program -- about 4 million nationwide -- contend that American broke its promise to frequent fliers.

I AM WRITING in response to your Dec. 23 editorial ("Passengers: Exit on command?") regarding the argument I recently presented before the U.S. Supreme Court. As your editorial reflects, the Supreme Court did question me about the inconveniences that may be faced by a passenger who is asked to step out of the vehicle.These are important questions that both I and Janet Reno, the attorney general of the United States, seriously considered in deciding to request the Supreme Court to allow police officers to ask passengers to exit a stopped vehicle.

WASHINGTON -- International air travelers who suffer emotional injury during hijacking or other airborne incidents may not sue the airlines for damages, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously yesterday.Airlines are legally obliged by world treaty only to pay for physical injury or death to passengers during international flights, the court declared. It turned aside psychic injury claims by passengers on an Eastern Airlines flight that nearly ditched in the Atlantic Ocean eight years ago.The decision conflicts with a ruling by Israel's Supreme Court interpreting the same treaty to assure protection against such purely emotional injuries as fright and shock.

WASHINGTON -- The way Kate Hanni tells it, an ill-fated holiday trip that left her family stuck inside a grounded airliner for nine hours without food, running water or working toilets amounted to "cruel and inhumane" treatment that no passenger should have to endure. So infuriated was she about the ordeal in December that she and her husband started a coalition of fed-up fliers to press for an industrywide passenger bill of rights. Yesterday, the Napa, Calif., resident appeared before a Senate panel to lend support to a bill by Sens.

At 1,350 mph, the supersonic Concorde is the ultimate thrill ride, and now the "First Lady of the Skies" is courting new passengers with new comforts, conveniences, even a few bargain fares.British Airways and Air France are the world's only airlines operating the 100-seat, needle-nosed jetliners today. The British are pouring on the perks; the French are wheeling and dealing. The passengers -- mostly businesspeople who make every minute count -- are reaping a bonanza of benefits.Meanwhile, for travelers who want to impress their friends or customers, both airlines are now chartering Concorde for custom, exotic tours.

It was April 19, as the U.S. cruise industry was laying plans to reposition its ships for the summer season, when a New York law firm and six passengers decided to rock some boats.In a batch of lawsuits against seven major cruise companies, the passengers challenged the industrywide practice of tacking "port charges" onto passenger bills. Most passengers may think those fees go directly to paying government levies, but in fact, the lawsuits alleged, most of that money is actually "profit that ends up on the bottom line."

LOS ANGELES -- Pan American World Airways, which lost jet with 270 aboard in a terrorist bombing two years ago, has refused to carry any Iraqi passengers since the Persian Gulf war broke out.A Pan Am employee in Los Angeles said Friday that a directive had been received from the airline's headquarters in New York through its computer system ordering ground staffs to refuse all Iraqi nationals on all domestic and international flights, regardless of whether...