We expect professionalism and safety when we fly. But when plans change, what do the airlines offer us? Many times, their very first offer stinks.
It was early on a November Sunday morning. My wife and I were booked on separate Delta flights from Reno, Nevada to Chicago O’Hare via Salt Lake City. Her flight was to depart at 6:05 a.m., mine at 10:30 a.m.
A hydraulic leak was found on the plane scheduled to leave first. Because the part needed to make the repair was not found in Reno, the flight initially was cancelled.
My wife was offered the following itinerary: fly from Reno to Salt Lake City, then catch a flight to Phoenix, followed by a flight to Atlanta, followed by a red-eye flight to Chicago that would land at 7:30 the following morning.
Yes, the airlines will offer a horrible itinerary like that with a straight face. Yes, my wife wisely declined it and asked for more choices.
The second Delta offer: stay in Reno another day — at a resort hotel, no less — with vouchers for meals and ground transportation, all at the airline’s expense. She boarded the 6:05 a.m. flight out of Reno a day later than expected.
As it turned out, Delta was able to get a needed part flown in from Salt Lake City and put that 6:05 a.m. flight back on the schedule. But by that time, Reno passengers such as my wife would have missed their connecting flights.
When I arrived at the airport for the 10:30 a.m. flight, my wife had already secured this second deal. I took a voluntary bump to board her original flight, which was now back on the board for a noon departure. My reward was passage on a half-empty flight with a row of seats all to myself. At the resort, my wife had company from other Delta passengers who also decided to extend their Reno stays.
There are at least two valuable lessons for travelers to glean from this story.
First lesson: a mechanical malfunction puts the ball squarely in the airline’s court. Your ticket is, in effect, a legally binding contract to transport you. Any interruption of that contract within the airline’s control puts them in a position to provide an acceptable remedy. Delays due to maintenance issues or crew rotations fit this category.
So-called “acts of God” are another story. If the delay is due to a massive snowstorm, for example, the airline representative simply shrugs and says “not our fault.”
In this case, a hydraulic leak was definitely serious enough to merit Delta’s call to cancel the flight. Credit Delta for putting safety first.
Second lesson: never take the airline’s first possible solution without asking for at least one alternative offer. Had my wife resigned herself to that first brutal scenario, she would have had to schlep through five airports in 24 hours and arrive home the next day anyway. Why subject yourself to that kind of punishment when the legal liability lies squarely with the airline?
This is an example of a surprising travel find that’s not too pleasant: airlines will take the easiest and cheapest way out of these situations, because they know a certain percentage of mostly novice travelers will simply accept their first offer as the only offer.
Sadly, many novice travelers fail to exercise their passenger rights.
Perhaps that explains the rise of websites such as Flyersrights.org. If you find yourself in an ugly situation, lacking the time or patience to scan the fine print in your ticket’s Contract of Carriage, this site provides frequently asked questions for a host of common problem situations for which an airline is liable.
Although scenarios and airline policies might vary, there are basic Department of Transportation regulations worthy of consideration when the big delay hits your flight itinerary or the airline loses your baggage.
For example, according to FlyersRights.org, “[U.S.] DOT prevents air carriers from imposing anything less than a $3,500 liability limit for delayed, lost, or damaged bags on domestic flights, per passenger.” And airlines must refund your checked baggage fee if a piece is permanently lost.
If your baggage is simply delayed, the airline still is liable for providing “reasonable expenses” resulting from your lost bags until they are found. That does not mean you can go out and buy an entire wardrobe. But it might mean compensation for buying a change of clothing and toiletries.
International flights might not be covered by U.S. law. In some cases, however, compensation for airline-related mishaps actually grows more generous under the regulations of other jurisdictions.
Keep your rights in mind when airline disappointments strike. Be polite but firm in asking for a fair remedy.
Don’t take the five-airport red-eye tour!