By Alan Levin, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – The government is introducing sweeping protections for fliers today to bar long tarmac delays on international flights, require airlines to reimburse bag fees if luggage is lost and pay people double if they’re bumped off flights.
The rules, issued by the Department of Transportation, will take effect Aug. 23. Airlines will be required to more clearly disclose the fees charged for such services as checking bags and changing reservations.”Airline passengers have a right to be treated fairly,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said about the rules. “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 additional passenger protections we’re announcing today will help make sure air travelers are treated with the respect they deserve.”
The Transportation Department barred airlines last April from delaying flights on the ground for longer than three hours without allowing passengers the chance to return to the gate. Otherwise, the airlines faced stiff fines.The rule has all but eliminated long delays for passengers on domestic flights, but it didn’t apply to international routes — something consumer advocates wanted changed because too many travelers on international flights were stranded for hours on tarmacs.At least 31 international flights carrying as many as 9,000 passengers became stranded for three hours or more at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport during a December blizzard.
The incident was “an important factor in the department’s decision to extend the tarmac delay provisions,” the department said in a release.Airlines will have more time to let international flights sit on the tarmac before they must take off or return to the gate: four hours compared with three for domestic flights.The rules provide other protections: Airlines will be required to hold flight reservations for 24 hours at the quoted fare price if the reservations are made at least a week before takeoff. They must also promptly notify passengers of flight delays longer than 30 minutes.
The rules target some of the most aggravating aspects of airline travel fliers say they suffer.
Chief among them are the fees to check bags. The rules say the airlines must refund the fees — up to $50 or more a bag — if they are misplaced.
Under the rules, passengers bumped from flights are entitled to compensation of twice the price of the ticket up to $800 if the passenger is delayed two hours or less. Those who have longer delays after being bumped can get up to $1,300. That’s double the current amount.The airline industry generally supported the changes, but opposed broadening restrictions on lengthy tarmac delays, said the Air Transport Association, a Washington trade group. They argued that the rule would increase flight cancellations and delays.
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