The holiday season can be stressful. Traveling to see family this time of year can add unnecessary chaos, and the last thing travelers want to deal with is hiccups with their flight plans. However, airline passengers have more rights than most know of. Tom Sinas, Grand Rapids personal injury attorney from Sinas Dramis Law Firm, explains the different airline passenger rights they are legally entitled to.
Airline Passenger Rights – When You’re Bumped
Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has increased airline passenger rights for travelers. The FAA has jurisdiction over all things airlines, and creates the laws for flying. Being removed involuntarily from flights, also known as “bumping,” has been amended. Airlines are no longer able to bump passengers off overbooked flights for another passenger without reimbursement. The compensation passengers can receive is entirely dependent on the additional time it takes to get to their final destination. For bumped passengers landing at their destination between one and two hours later than originally expected, they are entitled to receive up to 200% in reimbursement for their one-way ticket, for example.
Compensation for Delays and Cancellations
Airline passenger rights also allow passengers to receive refunds for cancelled or substantially delayed flights. However, the FAA allows airlines to determine what qualifies as a substantial delay. Even if the flight is delayed due to weather, passengers are permitted to request compensation for airfare from another airline if the final destination and landing time is the same.
Handling Lost or Damaged Luggage
Another right of airline passengers is compensation for lost, delayed, or damaged luggage. If your airline lost or damaged your baggage, or anything within, you have a legal right to reimbursement. The reimbursement value has to be reasonable, and depends on when you collect the luggage from the airline.
For more information about airline passenger rights, head to sinasdramis.com.
