# What Am I Entitled To When My Flight Goes Wrong?



## MrFSS (Nov 6, 2014)

As airlines pack more passengers than ever onto each plane, a single storm can reverberate through the system—leaving flyers stranded as agents scramble to find ever-rarer empty seats on later flights. But you aren't entirely at the mercy of the airlines. Should your itinerary be delayed, cancelled, or overbooked, knowing your rights can be the difference between a $300 voucher and a long night at the airport.

*LINK*


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## xyzzy (Nov 6, 2014)

The article appears factually correct to me. The bottom line, however, is that for domestic travel within the U.S., the airlines aren't obligated to do *anything* for you in case of a mechanical, weather, or other operational problem. It's only if you are denied boarding because of an overbook that the airline has a financial obligation. That said, many airlines do provide some assistance in case of a non-overbooking problem. The extent of assistance varies by airline, and within an airline it can vary based on what kind of status you have within the frequent flyer program, and unfortunately or fortunately it can vary at the discretion of the individual airline employee. Being nice helps.


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 6, 2014)

On my gfs recent return flight to IAH from JFK on United, due to a shortage of pilots, she missed her connection from IAH to ABI and was put up over night @ an Airport Hotel, given a Food Voucher and United flew a Special Flight the next morning to AUS for the dozen or so pax that missed their connections to AUS. This is good customer service IMO and basically unheard of these days!!!


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## jis (Nov 6, 2014)

jimhudson said:


> On my gfs recent return flight to IAH from JFK on United, due to a shortage of pilots, she missed her connection from IAH to ABI and was put up over night @ an Airport Hotel, given a Food Voucher and United flew a Special Flight the next morning to AUS for the dozen or so pax that missed their connections to AUS. This is good customer service IMO and basically unheard of these days!!!


United does that even on international legs. One time we were stuck in Tel Aviv due to a blizzard in New York. lo and behold, the next day there were three 777s lined up to clear the backup from the previous day of snow storm driven cancellations (there are two 777 flights a day between EWR and TLV by United. And I even got a complementary upgrade to lie flat seat BF to boot, so I was a happy camper for being forced spend an additional day on the Mediterranean beach in TA. Frankly I have no idea how they shuffled planes through that mess in New York.


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## Devil's Advocate (Nov 7, 2014)

> The *only* time airlines are required to compensate inconvenienced customers is when they're bumped from an oversold flight. In that case, all the airlines should offer pretty much the same deal: They'll put you on their next available flight. If you reach your destination one to two hours later than originally scheduled, they'll pay you 200 percent of the one-way fare (up to $650). More than two hours later, and you're entitled to 400 percent (up to $1,300).


So far as I am aware this compensation only applies to IDB (involuntary denied boarding). If you are voluntarily bumped or didn't follow the rules or got lost or showed up late then you're at the mercy of whatever the airline decides to offer you, if anything. The idea that even a serious delay which could potentially make an entire trip completely worthless is only compensated up to an absolute maximum of $1,300 is downright laughable. Thousands of published fares already exceed the maximum compensation level. When you add the loss of hotel nights on credit backed reservations, new last minute hotel bookings, forfeited event and activity charges, meals, and taxis that level of compensation is likely to only amount to a tiny fraction of the total financial impact for a serious delay. The suggestion that passengers can win better treatment by clumsily quoting the contract of carriage to an airline agent is even more ludicrous. Which of the fifty odd pages of liability restrictions and exclusions are you going to quote in your defense? The contract was written by the airline you're arguing with. Following a lopsided anti-consumer agreement to the letter will probably only make things even worse. The contract is there to dissuade you from asking for too much.



jis said:


> jimhudson said:
> 
> 
> > On my gfs recent return flight to IAH from JFK on United, due to a shortage of pilots, she missed her connection from IAH to ABI and was put up over night @ an Airport Hotel, given a Food Voucher and United flew a Special Flight the next morning to AUS for the dozen or so pax that missed their connections to AUS. This is good customer service IMO and basically unheard of these days!!!
> ...


I was once VDB'd from a 2.5 hour flight out of SFO on UA and spent another day vacationing in the bay area on UA's dime.

As compensation I received the following...

Upgrade from coach to first class

Paid stay at the Hyatt Regency

International amenity kit

Food credits for Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

$600 worth of stackable travel coupons

That being said there is no way I'd ever imply that this is company policy or that most travelers would receive anything like this. It was just an example of being in the right place at the right time with the right knowledge. If you travel often enough you may eventually bump into a situation you can turn to your advantage, but most travelers will probably never see anything like this in exchange for a domestic bump. Most of the time I do what I can to limit connections and avoid airports known for poor weather. I guess because I'm one of the few Americans who has actually bothered to learn my actual rights ahead of time and I already know that they're borderline useless in the vast majority of situations. Contrary to the recommendations given in this article I would suggest travelers ignore the contract of endless exclusions. I would instead suggest they learn how to read body language so they can calmly and rationally deliver a concise and compelling story that is applicable to the situation.


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## jis (Nov 7, 2014)

I agree with you DA.

In a situation handled right really remarkable things can happen. One time there was a cancellation of a flight from SFO to Tokyo Narita (NRT) and everyone was shifted to two other flights. I was traveling on an award ticket and had a downgrade staring me in the face. At the Customer Service counter there was much yelling and screaming going on by the self-entitled crowd. I calmly walked upto an agent and explained my situation. She told me to go ahead and board using the downgraded boarding pass and she will see what she can do.

Boarding time came and I boarded and occupied the assigned seat in the economy class. After the door closed, a flight attendant quietly walked upto me and asked me to get my carry-ons since there was a seat for me up front! Turns out I had a window seat in the first row upstairs on the 747! I was truly floored. But such things do happen if you behave nicely instead of carrying with a million chips on your shoulder. By all reckoning I probably had one of the lowest priorities for retaining my Business Class seat on that flight, and yet..... You'd be amazed what kind of implicit power and ability the gate agents have!


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## chakk (Nov 7, 2014)

jis is definitely correct -- being nice is always a better approach than pleading self-entitlement. My last international flight (from New Zealand to California) got me out of a tight row of 100% occupied coach seats into a bulkhead row with much more leg room and no other occupants. I wound up with 5 pillows, 4 blankets, 3 seats, 2 feet of extra legroom,, and 1 thoroughly delightful 12-hour journey. At 1/3 the price that my spouse's seat cost her sponsor just two rows forward in Premium Economy.

And all because I politely asked a flight attendant during the taxi out from the gate if I could move up to the empty row after takeoff. He said that row was reserved for parents with infants, but since there were none around, he quite cheerfully (and quietly) gave me the go-ahead.


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## Barciur (Nov 28, 2014)

This is the European Union air passenger rights page:

http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm

Is there anything similar in law in the US or is it just airline policies?


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## tp49 (Nov 29, 2014)

Google Rule 240.


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