Travel News

Travel Tip: New DOT Rules for Passenger Rights

You may have heard that the Department of Transportation has imposed some strict rules on airlines to support passenger rights. That’s great news, but is it effective?

The DOT recently unveiled a list of rules it’s enforcing on U.S. airlines. One of those rules is they’ll hand out big fines to airlines that let planes sit on the tarmac for more than three hours.

The airline is liable for up to $27,500 per passenger. That can amount to as much as $4.9 million on a fully loaded 737.

Almost immediately after the law passed, only four or five airplanes a month sat on the tarmac for more than three hours. Compare that to 61 long delays in February, just before the rules went into effect.

But weather is a big factor here. Clear weather translates into fewer delays, so we’ll see if the good behavior lasts when we’re dealing with ice, snow and rain.

However, they deserve some credit. It seemed like the law of unintended consequences would take over, and instead of paying hefty fines for a long delay, the airlines would simply cancel the flight. Well, so far, the number of canceled flights hasn’t risen too drastically compared to the same time last year.

So here’s hoping the good behavior continues. But don’t count on it.

Learn more: Do Airlines Deserve Their Bad Reputation?

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