If Bumped, Airline Passengers May Get Up to $800
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WASHINGTON — Like almost everything else related to air travel in recent weeks, government proposals unveiled yesterday rankled airlines and could be bittersweet for an already sour traveling public.
Under one new rule, passengers who get bumped off overbooked flights will be eligible to receive twice as much compensation from American airlines. But ticket prices are expected to spike as a result of another rule designed to ease congestion tied to the New York area’s clogged airports.
Travelers forced onto another flight that takes them to their domestic destination more than two hours after their original arrival time will be paid the full price of their fare up to $800, under a new Transportation Department rule that goes into effect next month. If bumped passengers arrive less than two hours late, the limit is $400. The latest government action comes on the heels of maintenance-related investigations that unveiled a cozy relationship between carriers and regulators, and led to the grounding of hundreds of planes and the grumbling of thousands of upended passengers.
