Consumer Protections Welcomed, But Some Are Being Delayed

Kate Hanni, founder and executive director of FlyersRights.org, praised Tuesday's implementation of new Department of Transportation airline passenger protections. International flights will now be subject to the DOT's three-hour tarmac stranding law, certain passenger compensations have increased, and airlines will have to refund you the fee they charged for your checked bag if they lose it. 

"Today represents another major victory for airline passengers as all commercial airlines operating in the US will now fall under the Three-Hour Tarmac Rule, while consumers will now enjoy a number of new common sense protections," said Hanni. "These improvements to the existing passenger rights regulations will help create accountability and greater efficiency in commercial air travel."

"Perhaps best of all, these new rules that we have fought so hard for, will make sure that passengers will no longer be forced to pay for the privilege of having their luggage lost by an airline."

While celebrating the implementation of the new rules, FlyersRights.org also expressed disappointment at DOT's plans to delay until January other key provisions of its rulemaking, including requirements to publish all fees and taxes as part of the fare, rapid passenger notification of flight status changes, and requiring airlines and ticket sellers to hold reservations for 24 hours before requiring purchase.

"We look forward to new rules which will afford consumers much greater transparency and better information when they travel, allowing the marketplace to operate more cleanly and efficiently," said Hanni. "We are hopeful the DOT will consider putting them into effect before the holiday travel season this year."

FMI: www.flyersrights.org