Your summer right to an easier flight

With summer vacation planning in full swing, the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs has some good news.

Beginning in August, federal authorities will be cracking down on oversold flights, baggage fees, sneaky ticket surcharges and long delays on the tarmac, thanks to new airline passenger rules.

“This is a really good change for consumers,” says Acting Director Rigo Reyes. “One of the complaints we get all the time is that when airlines bump you or lose your luggage, they compensate you too little and too late—it’s, ‘File your claim and we’ll get back to you’.”

 Under new U.S. Department of Transportation passenger rights that take effect Aug. 23, passengers who are bumped from an oversold flight will be entitled to more money—up to $650 for short delays (of less than four hours), and up to $1,300 for longer ones.

Moreover, airlines will not only have to reimburse passengers for lost luggage, as is now the case, but also will have to refund those irritating extra baggage fees.

“And they will have to be very clear about extra fees beyond your fare when you book online,” says Reyes. “They won’t be able to put you in that position where you see a promotion and spend all this time setting it up, and then find all these sorts of fees you didn’t know about tacked on when you see your credit card bill.”

Also, he says, no airlines, whether foreign or domestic, will be allowed to hold passengers for endless hours on the tarmac as was the case during a December blizzard at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York last year.

After August, four hours will be the limit, and airlines will have to give passengers status reports on the half-hour and make sure they have food, water, bathrooms and medical treatment, if needed, after two hours.

 Posted 5/23/11