Score one for harried air travelers. In about four months, we'll no longer be made to feel like hostages on the tarmac as we wait for a thunderstorm to blow through or a snowplow to complete its necessary work before being cleared for takeoff.

Relief comes courtesy of the federal Department of Transportation, which has approved regulations limiting the time airlines can keep passengers on a waiting aircraft to a maximum of three hours. If the wait should exceed two hours, carriers will be required to offer food and drink. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the on-board restroom facilities must be kept fresh and usable.

The penalty for failing to comply is stiff: $27,500 per...