Do you have a story to tell?

Specifically, do you have a horror story to tell about being trapped on an airplane for hours on end, sitting in your cramped seat wondering why the plane is parked on the runway, going no where, instead of whisking you to your fabulous destination?

If so, then Rep. Jean Schmidt wants to hear from you.

The Miami Township Republican launched a probe on today into why so many people have been trapped on airplanes going nowhere, sometimes for as long as eight hours. She's asking folks to aid in her investigation by submitting their stories to her office.

“We have all heard of horror stories about passengers being trapped for extremely long periods of time. I plan to investigate why this is happening and under what conditions these events occur,” Schmidt said in a news release. “I am asking the public to share with me their experiences.”

She's also meeting with the major airlines “to try and gain an understanding of how and why this continues to happen.”

“Airline passengers do not deserve to be treated like cattle. It is outrageous that some passengers have been so mistreated. It is bad business for the airlines and a maddening imposition on their customers. I intend to find out why this keeps happening. I hope to work with all the parties involved and get to the root cause of these horror stories,” Schmidt said.

According to Schmidt, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, there were more than 7,600 instances last year where airline passengers were forced to sit in their seats on airplanes for more than two hours before taking off.

“It is my hope to determine the cause of these delays as soon as possible. As our nations air traffic system gets more and more crowded the problem is bound to get worse. Passengers are suffering because we have let our air traffic control system become antiquated,” Schmidt said.