Finally, some good news for US airline passengers

Wednesday, 4 May 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Several new rules that are good news for airline passengers were approved recently by the US Department of Transportation.

Thanks in part to the work of FlyersRights.com, who applied pressure for these changes, passengers will get more compensation for bumped flights and will not have to spend more than four hours on the tarmac, even when flying on foreign airlines.

Airlines are now required to pay passengers $ 1,300 if they are forced to give up their seats on overbooked flights and arrive at their destination more than two hours later than originally scheduled. This is up from $ 800. Passengers who are bumped and arrive within two hours of their scheduled time can receive $ 650, up from $ 400.

Foreign carriers must release passengers stuck at US airports after four hours on the tarmac, or be fined up to $ 27,500. Passengers on US carriers must be released after three hours in a ruling last year by Ray Lahood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Airlines must refund baggage fees if the bags are lost.

Airlines must notify consumers of delays of more than 30 minutes. Carriers must now include government taxes and disclose all other fees when advertising plane fares. This should make it a lot easier to compare fares between airlines. Passengers are now able to cancel reservations within 24 hours of a booking without penalty.

Airlines are now prohibited from price increases after tickets are purchased.