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Flight or Fight: How to Make Rule 240 Work for You Before airline deregulation in 1978, Rule 240 was a requirement of the US federal government. Today, it is a term describing what individual airlines will do for late or stranded passengers. The major airlines have filed "CONDITIONS OF CARRIAGE" with the U.S. Department of Transporatation (DOT) guaranteeing their respective Rule 240s. Today, Rule 240 is used by passengers as a means of determining what the airline will do for a stranded passenger. Basically, Rule 240 states that an airline must deliver you to your destination within two hours of the originally scheduled flight time. If they cannot, they must put you on another carrier. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, or if you've missed your flight connection, these policies may entitle you to free meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, phone calls, and other amenities. You may be booked on a substitute flight -- even on another airline -- and you may be compensated or given a full refund if the flight problems persist. How can you use Rule 240 to protect your rights? Always carry a printed copy of your airline's Rule 240. Though the DOT requires airlines to keep a Rule 240 copy available for passengers at every ticket counter, don't count on that. Read Rule 240 carefully before you use it. Many airline ticket agents do not know these policies, so you should be the expert. For example, Rule 240s generally apply only to delays that are absolutely the airline's fault, such as mechanical delays. They do not apply to what the airlines call "force majeure" events: weather, strikes, "acts of God," or other occurrences that the airlines say they cannot control. Be polite but very firm about your rights under Rule 240. You'll win most battles at ticket counters when you say the phrase "Rule 240" and show the agent your printed copy of the airline's policies. However, don't hesitate to keep going up the chain to supervisors if you're not satisfied. Sometimes, airlines will even go beyond Rule 240 requirements in the name of customer service. It's important to note that all airlines interpret Rule 240 slightly differently. If you have used Rule 240 on one airline in the past and received a meal voucher, it's not safe to assume that another airline will offer the same amenities. No airline Rule 240s are exactly the same, but they generally share a few features. They allow for meal vouchers and accommodations if a flight is diverted to another airport overnight. They require passengers to be booked on another flight if there’s a scheduling irregularity. And they limit the amount of compensation an airline must give its customers if a flight is delayed. An e-ticket actually diminishes your options if there are any flight irregularities, especially endless delays. A paper ticket, on the other hand, is a negotiable document that in most cases can be and will be honored by other airlines. If you’re holding an e-ticket and there is a delay, more often than not you will end up standing in a long line to get the paper ticket you should have had in the first place. And in the process, many of your other flight options may have literally taken off without you. You can check your flight status on Expedia.com It’s not the flight number, but the aircraft number that makes the real informational difference. If your flight is showing up as on time, or even if it is showing up as delayed, you need accurate information. So, call the airline and ask them the aircraft number assigned to your flight. Then ask them the actual status of that aircraft number. How can you lessen your chances of facing delays and cancellations?
If you are flying an airline with serious schedule problems (such as United Airlines or America West), you should probably have a paper ticket. E-tickets won't help you should you need to fly another carrier. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, you have more options with a printed ticket. ALL the airlines say they will try not to overbook. What that means is that they will overbook and hope for cancellations and no shows just as they always have done. Airlines have implemented extremely good measures to catch people who double book. Once caught, the airline has the legal right to cancel the passenger off all of the flights regardless of airline. THIS HAPPENS. So the next time you decide to book a "backup" flight, think about it very carefully. You have always been able to find out if a flight is overbooked You need to speak to an airline agent (not a travel agent, not a website) and know the terminology. You need to ask for THE LOAD ON A PARTICULAR FLIGHT. You may have to ask for a supervisor. The airlines have the legal right to deny you boarding if you have not checked in at THE GATE by check in time. Currently, check in on domestic flights is one hour prior; 2 hours prior on international flights. If you don't show up for a flight, the rest of your trip cancels. This applies even if you are flying on other airlines. Computers are now far more communicative with each other. You have about one hour before the computer systems catches the no show. YOU NEED TO LET SOMEONE (the gate agent; your travel agent) KNOW THAT YOU'RE MAKING THE TRIP! And you need to have them make sure your "continuing space" has not been cancelled. Almost no one does it automatically (they should but they don't). Non Refundable means "NO MONEY BACK" regardless of the reason. What you will get back is a credit voucher for the value of the ticket less a $75.00 change fee (this is subject to increase at a minute's notice), usable on that airline only. It does not have be used on the same routing however so there's a wee bit of flexibility there. Non refundable tickets generally DO NOT allow changes on the first set of flights on a trip (your outbound). If you need to change them, the airlines view it as a voiding of their contract and you will have to purchase a new ticket at the fare that applies for that date. A grey area are any tickets marked "valid AA only/non end/non trans." The AA could be UA, DL, TW, US, CO, HP. These are "negotiated fares," between the airline and some other entity (company or travel agency). The only obligation the airline has on these tickets is to put you on their next flight, although they will often Rule 240 them. Once an airline has granted a Rule 240, you will get an FLIGHT INTERUPTED MANIFEST (FIM for short). Without this, the new airline will not accept you without charging you more money. This does not apply to Southwest Airlines, American Transair, Spirit, Proair or charters. You will have to stay with those airlines, no matter what (unless you want to buy a new ticket). Useful Contacts
Some Airline links
Complaints to the Department of Transportation (DOT) about airline service increased 25 percent between 1997 and 1998 and have been on the rise the past three years. While the airlines have proposed a "customers first" plan to address some common grievances, travelers can help themselves best by learning what rights they do and don't have and by taking a firm but polite approach when problems arise. Related links
Bumping Federal law regulates how airlines conduct and compensate for bumping passengers on domestic flights. According to the DOT's Fly Rights: A Consumer Guide to Air Travel Carriers first must ask for volunteers, whom they compensate with a confirmed seat on a later flight and either cash or a travel voucher. If not enough passengers volunteer, the stakes may go up. When United Airlines oversold several of its flights out of London last spring, compensation escalated from $600 in the morning to $1,000 by evening. Next, airlines start bumping according to their boarding priority. Some board first class and business passengers first; others board passengers first come, first served. If you arrived late at the gate, you'll likely be among the first bumped. Airlines must confirm involuntarily bumped passengers on the next available flight on which space is available. If that flight arrives between one hour and two hours after your original flight should have landed, you'll receive the price of that ticket segment or $200, whichever is lower. If the flight arrives between two and four hours late, compensation increases to double the ticket segment price or $400. Although airlines involuntarily bump half a million passengers every year, they're an exception. Ninety percent of bumped domestic passengers voluntarily surrender their seats. Lost/delayed baggage The most common passenger complaint, lost and delayed baggage truly spoils an arrival. Passengers not only face the day without a change of clothes but they must trudge to the baggage office and fill out a written claim immediately. Airlines require passengers to notify them of misplaced bags within four to 24 hours. Many airlines will deliver delayed baggage free to your lodgings. Conditions of carriage also may provide for reimbursement of reasonable interim expenses, but airlines often dispute the definition of "reasonable." Do what you need to do and fight it out with the airline later. If you have a business meeting and need clothes, standard business attire may well be a reasonable purchase, but a Gucci suit is not acceptable. To protect yourself, ask for a copy of the airline's interim expense policy and keep all receipts. One warning: If you checked in at the last minute, some airlines deny delivery and interim expenses for delayed baggage. If your bag has disappeared forever, airlines limit their liability to $1,250 per passenger. (Congress and the airlines are considering doubling that amount.) Keep that limit in mind when packing; you should carry on valuables such as cameras, medicine, and jewelry. The Airlines Have Rights Too Much as we might not like to acknowledge the fact, the airlines have a list of "rights" too. An airline is not necessarily liable if your flight is delayed or cancelled. There are some situations, such as inclement weather and "acts of God", which are deemed beyond the carriers' control. In these cases, they will usually refund your ticket, even if it's a non-refundable ticket, but won't be responsible for any inconvenience it may have caused you. The following is a list of situations in which they can legally deny you boarding, or remove you from a flight on which you are confirmed.
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