Know Your Rights if You Get Bumped From a Flight

This is a simple reminder about a post on Passenger Rights and Compensation I discussed all the way back in April. This week the regulation changes for various items, including how much you are entitled to be compensated on bumped routes, went into effect.

The bumping regulations are meant for people who were involuntarily bumped from a domestic flight and state the following:
– Four times the ticket price, up to a maximum of $1,300 ($800 previously) per passenger if you arrive at your departure greater than 2 hours late
– Twice the ticket price, up to a maximum of $650 ($400 previously) per passenger in you arrive within 2 hours

While this is meant for involuntary passenger bumps, I would suspect you have a good chance of negotiating your compensation if you had this information handy with you. I would think you might have a better chance of negotiating these compensation rates when the airline calls you in advance to see if you are willing to change routes, like happened to us last Thanksgiving. When standing at the gate, the airlines typically spin the wheel and lure passengers to get bumped by increasing the compensation until someone bites. It might be harder to get the higher compensation at the gate.