The updated version of Fly Rights: A Consumer Guide to Air Travel -- the popular guide to air travelers' rights put out by the Department of Transportation (DOT) -- is hot off the presses.
"We take the rights of airline passengers very seriously," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Ensuring that the flying public has access to the best possible resources and consumer information is an important part of our mission, and this new version of Fly Rights will help air travelers better understand their rights as consumers."
Since it was first published in 1973, Fly Rights has provided air travelers with helpful advice on such issues as how to get the best airfare, what to expect when a flight is delayed or canceled, and how to avoid travel scams.
The guide provides easy-to-read information on federal airline regulations in a number of areas, including accommodating air travelers with disabilities and rules for bumping and baggage compensation. Fly Rights also contains information on airline safety, air traveler health and how to file official complaints against airlines.
The latest version includes updated information on the DOT's new consumer protections, including the three-hour limit on tarmac delays for domestic flights, the requirement for large airlines to display on-time performance information for domestic flights on their websites, and the requirement for airlines to respond to consumer complaints about an air travel experience. It also features new formatting and graphics to make it easier to read.
Horror stories about tarmac delays have made the issue a hot-button item in the news for years.
Bethany of Kingwood, TX, wrote ConsumerAffairs.com of being stuck on a Continental Airlines flight going from Houston to New York LaGuardia. "Because of weather problems in NYC, traffic was diverted to Dulles in Washington, D.C. Of course, the airlines assume no responsibility for weather delays; however, our plane also had mechanical difficulties. Long after other planes were back in the air, we sat first on the plane for nearly four hours and then in the terminal."
And -- just over a year ago -- there was the incident involving 47 passengers who were trapped aboard Continental Flight 2816 overnight.
Fly Rights is available online.
In addition to Fly Rights, the Department recently developed another guide to assist the flying public. When Kids Fly Alone provides air travel tips for parents of unaccompanied minors.
Print copies of both Fly Rights and When Kids Fly Alone may be obtained free of charge from the DOT warehouse by e-mail at dotwarehouse@dot.gov or by writing to DOT Warehouse, 3341-Q 75th Ave., Lanham, MD 20785.
