Involuntarily bumped? Airlines now have to pay you more
Have you ever been kicked off a flight because the airline overbooked it?
Effective Tuesday, bumped travelers are now eligible to receive twice as much money as they were before, according to Kelly Yamanouchi’s story on ajc.com. You could be reimbursed up to $1,300 depending on how much you originally paid for your ticket and how long you have to wait to hop another flight.
More from the story about the new regulations:
- Involuntarily bumped passengers are entitled to cash compensation equal to double the one-way value of their tickets, up to $650, if the airline was able to get them to their destination within a short period of time (within one to two hours of their originally scheduled arrival time for domestic flights and one to four hours for international flights).
- Passengers delayed for a lengthy period of time (more than two hours after their originally scheduled arrival time for domestic flights and 4 hours for international flights) are entitled to four times the value of the one-way price of their tickets, up to $1,300.
- Inflation adjustments will be made to the compensation limits every two years.
- Airlines are required to refund any fee for carrying a bag if the bag is lost.
- Airlines must prominently disclose all optional fees on their websites, including fees for baggage, meals, canceling or changing reservations, or advanced or upgraded seating.
Have you ever been bumped from a flight and felt your compensation wasn’t enough for the hassle? Do the new regulations make up for the frustration of having your travel plans altered?
– By Lauren Davidson, Atlanta Bargain Hunter
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8 comments Add your comment
Marge
August 24th, 2011
12:31 pm
I used to work for the airlines and know how they play fast and loose. I didn’t like it then and hated it when United Airlines in JFK took our money to confirm seats on an earlier flight, knowing full well that our connection to HNL was delayed in SFO. If we had stayed with our original flights, we would have arrived in HNL earlier and been able to get a room for a few hours before continuing on to the South Pacific. Yeah, we got to go to the South Pacific, but United Airlines shouldn’t have taken our money to confirm seats when they knew the connection was delayed.
harry tubman
August 24th, 2011
1:47 pm
I was greatly inconvenience when a restaurant got my meal order wrong. The government should have force them to pay me double of what it was worth.
Ricardo Cabeza
August 24th, 2011
3:52 pm
Never been involuntarily bumped, but the Delta agents in ATL just about know me by name when it comes to voluntary. I head toward the check in stand whenever they pick up the mic. just in case! Yeah, I have had to reschedule meetings, arrived late for a few things, etc. but the perks are worth it. (free miles, cash, meal & hotel vouchers, etc.)
Soupy
August 24th, 2011
4:21 pm
@harry, let me help you out. When you fly, you PAY for the ticket 1st, THEN you fly. They already have your money. When you go to a restaurant, you ORDER 1st, when the food comes, make sure its right, THEN you pay. Sounds like its best you stay home and cook, that is if you can do that right. You fool you.
Robert C
August 24th, 2011
6:48 pm
I got bumped on Delta / Air France flying from Paris to Atl, They had problems all week and were bumping people every day. All we got was a hotel room, free food & stuck at the airport in Paris with nothing to do.
David Hoffman
August 24th, 2011
10:27 pm
I have never been involuntarily bumped. I came close though. It was the first time I had ever booked a flight on my own. The travel agent made reservations on Delta from ATL to ORD and back . I never looked at the tickets. They were general reservations without seat assignments. I was near the end of the check in line at ORD on the way back and got the last empty seat. Thunderstorms approaching. They asked for volunteers to give up seats. They needed 8. They got 1. I was not going to get stuck at ORD in bad weather. We departed right ahead of the weather. I learned to always make sure you have a seat assignment when making an airline reservation. That is why I have no interest in Southwest Airlines general admission no seat assignment system. You cannot even make an effort to secure a proper reservation. I have an idea for reducing involuntary bumping. An industry wide customer paid nonrefundable deposit must be made for every reservation made. Having people financially loose some money for not taking the flight they reserved should help make up for some of the losses the airlines might incur if they flew with an empty seat. But it is good to hear they are working to reduce this denied boarding rate., however they do it.
Worried About Irene
August 25th, 2011
12:09 am
We are booked on Delta to fly to and from Boston this weekend, out on Sat. morning and return to Atlanta on Monday afternoon. We will be taking our son to college. Delta says that the flights are still scheduled Will we be compensated if the hurricane shuts down the airports this weekend? How do we handle this with Delta?
Ole Guy
August 27th, 2011
12:42 am
I never volunteer to take a bump FROM ATL; I generally have to be on-site within a few hours of departure. However, on return flights, I almost always take that bump. Being “top tier” on a few carriers, I have never been involuntarily bumped, but if you play their game right, it can be a win/win all around.
Worried: call 1-800-325-1551.
Good luck to your son…visit the Old Cheers while in town.