With Gov. Eliot Spitzer's signing an airline passenger “bill of rights” into law last week, New York state became the first in the nation to take legislative action on this issue. Although the measure leaves some room for what most passengers would consider unacceptable treatment, it is still a positive first step.

Albany deserves credit for taking the lead, and we hope other states will follow suit. Ideally, enough states will enact measures to put pressure on the U.S. government to establish regulations. Up to this point, the industry has policed itself on this matter. That obviously has not worked.

Like the minimum wage issue, the best solution in this case should involve the establishment of federal standards.

Unfortunately, the federal government often falls short, and it's up to state and local leaders to show the initiative.

The New York measure requires airlines in New York to provide amenities - food, water, clean toilets and fresher air - for passengers on planes that have been stuck on tarmacs for more than three hours. The legislation was inspired after a February incident at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, when JetBlue allowed passengers to be stranded for 11 hours.

Such treatment goes well beyond poor customer service. It's inhumane and in any other setting, might be considered criminal.

Violations of New York's measure could result in fines of up to $1,000 per passenger, which should be a good motivator for airlines to comply, as long as the state makes sure the law is enforced.

The three-hour time window, while significantly smaller than the 11 hours those JetBlue customers endured, is still an awfully long time to be stuck without movement, especially for passengers who face several more hours up in the sky to get to their destination.

Going forward, our hope is that New York might make its “bill of rights” a little tougher, and that ultimately the airline industry will hear the message and get its problems fixed.