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Bumped from your flight? DOT rules double cash you're entitled to starting May 19
Did you know that when you're bumped from a flight due to overbooking, under U.S. Dept. of Transportation regulations you can demand cash instead of a voucher for another flight?The goods news today is that the DOT says starting May 19 airlines will have to pay you up to double what they were previously obliged.
If you're bumped, you can insist on a refund of up to $400 if your alternative domestic flight puts you behind between 1 and 2 hours. Beyond that, you can request a refund up to $800. For international flights, the $400 threshold is if you're delayed between 1 and 4 hours, with delays beyond that eligible for a $800 refund.
Filed under: Consumer Activism
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
lorraine May 12th 2008 9:33PM
An interesting detail related to this rule change is the fine print from the DOT that urges airlines to inform those travelers who are about to take vouchers, etc., in exchange for agreeing to be voluntarily bumped what they would be entitled to if they refused voluntary bumping and took compensation as involuntarily bumped passengers instead.
Of course, there's really no way to ensure that every airline will do this (my guess is that most won't). So it behooves passengers to know what they're entitled to - it might help them negotiate when they're considering becoming volunteers and giving up their seats on an oversold flight.
Over at the Kayak blog, we just did a post about the new rules and what travelers need to know before heading to the airport. You can check it out at http://blog.kayak.com
Cheers,
Lorraine