New Airline Rules

New airline rules mean good news for you because more compensation will go to passengers.

The new rules put in place by the Federal Department of Transportation are intended to protect passengers from unfair airline practices.

For instance, it’s bad enough that baggage fees continue to rise, but the likelihood that the airlines can also lose your baggage on top of charging you for it just got a little easier with the following new airline rules.

— If the airline loses your bag, it must return your baggage fee in addition to compensating you for the luggage and contents.

If an airline loses your bags, one would think that returning your baggage fee is the least they can do.

Overbooked flights that cause passengers to get bumped is another big issue that continues to trouble passengers.  The new airline rules on passengers getting bumped do not stop the practice, but you will receive additional compensation for the inconvenience.

— Passengers bumped from an oversold flight are entitled to receive double the amount of the one-way ticket up to $650, provided the next available flight is no more than one to two hours later than the original arrival time domestically and one to four hours internationally.  Compensation can go up to four times the ticket price, as high as $1,300. Previously, compensation was capped at $400 and $800.

So many passengers have horror stories about being trapped in an airline plane for hours on the tarmac due to extreme delays.  The new airline rules extend bans on tarmac delays, and the airlines must allow passengers an opportunity to deplane.

— Tarmac delays are a ban of more than three hours for domestic flights, and the ban now includes small airports. The rule prohibits such delays without allowing passengers a chance to deplane. For international flights, the limit is four hours and now includes foreign carriers at U.S. airports.

And the new airline rules include another win for passengers.  The airlines must now list all charges associated with the cost of the airline ticket on the website.  So no more surprise fees!

— All fees must be prominently disclosed on airline websites.

According to the Department of Transportation additional rules will be imposed on the airline industry next year, but don’t get happy yet.  The airlines are complaining that they need more time to adapt to the current changes before more are imposed.

The delay was approved, but the following list of new airline rules are scheduled to take place next year.

•    Disclose bag fees during bookings and on e-tickets.

•    Promptly notify passengers at the boarding gate, on airline websites and via their phone reservation systems of flight cancellations and delays of more than 30 minutes.

•    Allow customers to cancel reservations without payment for at least 24 hours if they’re made at least a week before departure.

•    Include all government taxes and fees in advertised fares. Airlines typically exclude them.

•    Not raise a fare after a ticket has been bought unless it’s a result of government taxes and fees and the flier agrees to any increase.

•    Require that the same baggage fees apply through all segments of a passenger’s trip.

Now Take Off!