Lost luggage and flight delays subject to stiffer penalties

Lost Luggage Refunds Part of Stricter Rules for Airlines

Lost luggage? Flight delays? Hidden charges? The list of complaints against airlines have increased and for the most part so far, passengers just have to deal with most of them as becoming a normal part of travel.

But things are about to change. At least that's what regulators want. New rules that penalize airlines for lost luggage and tarmac delays are about to be implemented.

"Airline passengers have a right to be treated fairly," said Department of Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood. "It's just common sense that if an airline loses your bag or you get bumped from a flight because it was oversold, you should be reimbursed," he added in a statement.

Carriers will be required to refund baggage fees for lost luggage, pay fines for tarmac delays lasting 4 or more hours, and pay passengers more money in case they are bumped off oversold flights. They are also required to provide water and food for travelers stuck in the tarmac after two hours.

Airlines will also need to "prominently disclose" on their web sites all ticket surcharges such as costs for meals, upgrades and cancellations. Passenger groups have criticized these hidden charges as driving up the cost of travel while carriers say these give passengers more flexibility in picking fares.

Expectedly, carriers have criticized the stricter measures because these would allegedly increase ticket prices.

The Air Transport Association, the biggest trade group in the U.S., has described the new rules as unnecessary and that "market forces - not additional regulations - are already providing customer benefits," citing some data about the lower incidence of lost luggage.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Thursday April 21 2011, 5:42 AM EST. Ref: WSJ. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Travel. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0