And now here's one of our favorite parts of the new proposal—how much a passenger will be paid by an airline if they are bumped to another flight because it's been oversold: Even if the passengers has paid for the ticket using frequent flyer miles, the airline must inform the bumped person that they can choose either travel vouchers (for free round-trips or money towards future flights) or straight-up cash. The proposal raises bumped compensation, to range between $650 and $1,300 depending on the flight length. We'll tell you something; $1,300 would stop us from crying over being bumped at the gate.
What's also exciting is that airlines cannot trick customers by advertising deceptively low fares, which end up being for a one-way only purchaseable if part of a round-trip, with additional hidden fees thrown on top (like those pesky new peak travel fees).
Keep your fingers crossed! The DOT has a 60-day comment period on this proposal before it goes ahead and adopts them, going into force then in 180 days, barring any obstacles.
Related Stories:
· US Presses the Airlines to Satisfy the Traveler [NYT]
· New Transparency and Regulation for the USA's Airline Industry is Good News for All [Pauline Frommer]
· Airline Fees [Jaunted]
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