One change crafted by the U.S. Department of Transportation would increase the amount of financial compensation an airline must provide to passengers bumped off oversold flights. The minimum payment would range between $650 and $1,300, depending on the destination and length of delay.

 

Other rules would allow customers to get a full refund within 24 hours of buying a plane ticket, be reimbursed for baggage fees and expenses if luggage is not delivered on time, and receive more timely notification regarding delayed or cancelled flights.

 

The Obama administration intends for the new rules to take effect this fall. They follow federal regulations implemented in April mandating that airlines allow passengers to deplane if their flight is stuck on the tarmac for more than three hours. The same rules also ordered companies to adopt procedures for providing snacks, water and working bathrooms during lengthy takeoff delays.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

U.S. Presses the Airlines to Satisfy the Traveler (by Susan Stellin, New York Times)

Consumer Rule II Summary of Proposals (U.S. Department of Transportation)