New rules announced by the American Government mean that airlines will have to refund a passenger’s baggage fee if their luggage is lost.
The new baggage fee refund is on top of the fee that airlines must already pay for the luggage’s value if it gets lost. However, disgruntled passengers might not be pleased to hear that airlines won’t be obligated to refund their baggage fee if their luggage arrives late.
Confused consumers will also be happy to learn that the advertised price they see for a flight will soon be the one they’ll actually pay as all fees, taxes and other surcharges will have to be included to give greater clarity to travellers.
In addition, the maximum that airlines could have to pay passengers if they’re bumped from their flight due to over-booking has risen to $650 for short-haul routes, whilst for long-haul flights passengers could be compensated as much as $1,300.
New rules have also been announced on ‘tarmac delays’. If an international plane is delayed, airlines won’t be able to hold passengers on the runway for any longer than four hours without access to food, water and toilets. The maximum limit on domestic flights is already three hours.The new rules are expected to take effect within the next four months.
