Obama Administration To See If Law Violated In Continental Flight Delay

The Obama administration is looking into whether Continental Airlines Inc. (CAL) or one of its regional carriers violated any laws in connection with a delay that reportedly left passengers stuck on a Minnesota tarmac for hours last weekend.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement Tuesday that he has asked his department's general counsel to conduct the review of Continental and ExpressJet Airlines Inc.

"While we don't yet have all the facts, this incident as reported is very troubling," LaHood said. "We are investigating the incident and will do whatever we can to make sure passengers are not subjected to such situations in the future."

The incident involved Continental Express Flight 2816, from Houston to Minneapolis, that deplaned 47 passengers 6 a.m. Saturday - six hours after landing - the Associated Press reported.

After severe weather forced air controllers to divert the flight to Rochester, Minn., Continental's dispatchers in Minneapolis decided to wait out the storms rather than cancel the flight and bus passengers the remaining 85 miles, the AP reported.

"We are working with the DOT to respond quickly to their inquiry regarding flight 2816," Julie King, a Continental spokeswoman, said in an email Tuesday.

An ExpressJet spokesman couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

-By Josh Mitchell, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6637; [e-mail]