San Bruno B.A.R.T.

  San Francisco International Airport officials announced a plan Friday to accommodate passengers who are forced to remain on an airplane for extended periods of time, including making space for them in the International Terminal.

  Individual airlines have their own policies for dealing with long tarmac delays, either before takeoff or after landing. The airport's plan is an offering made to the airlines and is not mandatory.

  Nevertheless, it is a response to legislation in Congress and several states - in the form of an airline passengers' bill of rights - as well as lawsuits and demands by consumers that passengers be accommodated during delays that in some cases have been 10 or more hours.

  Also Friday, Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, said he will introduce legislation that will require airlines to provide basic amenities such as drinking water, fresh air, sanitary restrooms and lights when passengers are held for hours on airplanes in California.

  "No one should be denied basic necessities when stranded for hours on the tarmac. This measure will require the airlines to treat passengers humanely," said Leno.

  There have been numerous prolonged delays in recent years, but two relatively recent events captured a great amount of attention - airplanes idled on the ground at Austin, Texas, for nine hours on Dec. 29, 2006, and at New York's Kennedy International Airport for up to 11 hours on Valentine's Day.

  In a memo to airline station managers and other officials, Tryg McCoy, deputy director for operations and security at SFO, said the airport's plan is to have passengers who have been held for hours on planes that do not have terminal access be given space in the International Terminal.

  Gates at the terminal will be used, if available. If not, planes can park at any of 12 outlying areas and passengers will be bused to the terminal. Also, 300 sets of blankets, sleeping bags and pillows are available should passengers need to remain in the terminals overnight, the memo said.

  "We cannot mandate that the airlines take advantage of this, but we can make the facilities available to them, and that is what we are doing," said airport spokesman Mike McCarron.

  McCoy said lengthy delays often occur at airports with snow or blizzards. "However, SFO is not immune to the possibility of lengthy ramp holds," he said.

  On Friday, there were many cancellations at SFO and a long queue of airplanes waiting to depart in the foul weather - some of them delayed for hours.

  McCoy noted that the Department of Transportation has recommended that airports become involved in the issue.

  SFO, McCoy said, is requiring airline personnel to contact the airport duty manager to report incidents that may result in accommodating passengers stranded at the airport.

E-mail George Raine at graine@sfchronicle.com.