New York – Airlines were ordered Wednesday to pay passengers as much as $800 when they are involuntarily bumped from flights starting next month, the latest sign of a get-tough attitude in Washington toward the nation’s air carriers.
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A new rule doubling the maximum compensation for bumped passengers was part of a package of measures announced by the Transportation Department to strengthen consumer protections and ease flight delays.
The amount of money paid to passengers under the new bumping rule will be determined by the price of the ticket and the length of the delay. It will apply only to travelers who are involuntarily bumped — not those who willingly take offers of cash and vouchers to give up their seats.
The payments will not apply in the case of cancellations, such as the thousands of scrapped flights that hit American last week.
The old rule, in effect since 1978, applied only to planes seating at least 60 people. It now applies to planes with 30 seats or more. [AP]