Airline passenger rights bill passed

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) yesterday issued a new rule that significantly strengthens protections afforded to airline passengers, including the establishment of a three-hour time limit after which U.S. airlines must allow passengers to deplane delayed domestic flights. The rule also requires airlines to provide adequate food and potable drinking water for passengers within two hours of an aircraft being delayed.

The new rule also:

• Prohibits airlines from scheduling chronically delayed flights, subjecting those who do to DOT enforcement action for unfair and deceptive practices;

• Requires airlines to designate an airline employee to monitor the effects of flight delays and cancellations, respond in a timely and substantive fashion to consumer complaints and provide information to consumers on where to file complaints;

• Requires airlines to display on their website flight delay information for each domestic flight they operate;

• Requires airlines to adopt customer service plans and audit their own compliance with their plans; and

• Prohibits airlines from retroactively applying material changes to their contracts of carriage that could have a negative impact on consumers who already have purchased tickets