New air travel rules mean new rights for passengers

By Mark Chesnut

Whether it’s business travel or a much-needed vacation, no one likes dealing with the stress of air travel. So the expanded airline passenger protections recently announced by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood should be good news for a variety of travelers. The new regulations, which take effect on August 23, address an array of potential problems.

New DOT regulations aims to make it easier for travelers: Credit: Daniel Lobo.

Among the changes: Airlines will be required to reimburse passengers for luggage fees if their bags are lost, provide consumers involuntarily bumped from flights with greater compensation, expand the current ban on lengthy tarmac delays and disclose hidden fees. “Airline passengers have a right to be treated fairly,” said Secretary LaHood.  “It’s just common sense that if an airline loses your bag or you get bumped from a flight because it was oversold, you should be reimbursed.”

The new rule doubles the amount of money that involuntarily bumped passengers are eligible to be compensated for oversold flights. Bumped passengers subject to short delays will receive compensation equal to double the price of their tickets, up to $650, while those subject to longer delays would receive payment of four times the value of their tickets, up to $1,300.

The new rule expands the existing ban on lengthy tarmac delays to cover foreign airlines’ operations at U.S. airports and establishes a four-hour time limit on tarmac delays for international flights of U.S. and foreign airlines, with exceptions allowed only for safety, security or air traffic control-related reasons. Carriers must also ensure that passengers stuck on the tarmac are provided adequate food and water after two hours, as well as working lavatories and necessary medical treatment.

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Mark Chesnut is a travel writer, editor and publisher of LatinFlyerBlog.com, which focuses on business and leisure travel to Latin America.

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