Legal News

Bumped from your flight?

By Glen Ashman

Govt to hit airlines harder for bumping passengers

DALLAS (AP)  ? Giving up your airline seat may become a little less painful. Federal officials are expected to announce this week a plan to raise the maximum amount that airlines must pay passengers who get bumped off an oversold flight, currently at $400 or $800 depending on how long a trip is delayed.  Bumpings rose in three of the past four years and jumped 10 percent to 762,422 in 2009, the highest total since 2002. They soared 17 percent in this year's first quarter.  The potential inconvenience is greater now too. Airlines have cut back on flights and planes are more crowded, so bumped passengers could wait hours or even days to find alternate arrangements.  Passenger-rights groups have pushed the Transportation Department to raise the payout limits to $800 and $1,200 per traveler if the airline bumps you involuntarily. The agency has signaled that it plans some type of inflation adjustment in the limits, which were last raised in 2008...  Airlines are allowed to sell more tickets than they have seats on the assumption that some passengers ? usually those with refundable tickets ? won't show up.

Full post as published by It's (Barely) Legal on May 31, 2010 (boomark / email).