Thu, Aug 25, 2011
Consumer Protections Welcomed, But Some Are Being Delayed
Kate Hanni, founder and executive director of FlyersRights.org,
praised Tuesday's implementation of new Department of
Transportation airline passenger protections. International flights
will now be subject to the DOT's three-hour tarmac stranding law,
certain passenger compensations have increased, and airlines will
have to refund you the fee they charged for your checked bag if
they lose it.
"Today represents another major victory for airline passengers
as all commercial airlines operating in the US will now fall under
the Three-Hour Tarmac Rule, while consumers will now enjoy a number
of new common sense protections," said Hanni. "These improvements
to the existing passenger rights regulations will help create
accountability and greater efficiency in commercial air
travel."
"Perhaps best of all, these new rules that we have fought so
hard for, will make sure that passengers will no longer be forced
to pay for the privilege of having their luggage lost by an
airline."
While celebrating the implementation of the new rules,
FlyersRights.org also expressed disappointment at DOT's plans to
delay until January other key provisions of its rulemaking,
including requirements to publish all fees and taxes as part of the
fare, rapid passenger notification of flight status changes, and
requiring airlines and ticket sellers to hold reservations for 24
hours before requiring purchase.
"We look forward to new rules which will afford consumers much
greater transparency and better information when they travel,
allowing the marketplace to operate more cleanly and efficiently,"
said Hanni. "We are hopeful the DOT will consider putting them into
effect before the holiday travel season this year."
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