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Standard compenstion
Question:
>If there is no ‘next flight’ that day, they will probably put you up >in a hotel. I have had this happen, and the hotels have varied >between decent top-end hotel right across from the airport to >crack-house in lower Elbonia. You will get ‘vouchers’ for food. No >one accepts them, but you’ll get them. You may as well eat the >vouchers. > Actually, there is always one restaurant a the airport that accepts > the vouchers. It will be closed.
Either that or you’ll be in an airport without "street pricing" and your $5 meal voucher might get you 1/3rd of a meal if you’re lucky. While many airports offer "street pricing" for fast-food (or near close to the same price if bought outside the airport), there are other airports where food is "Disneyland Priced" and $5 won’t get you zilch other than maybe a small side salad or a small beverage. But OfCourse<tm> when your flight is cancelled and you finally do get your voucher, it’s late, the food vendors have closed and the voucher is useless (as it must be used the day issued). You’re right Bill, one might as well eat the voucher! Steve
Response:
>If there is no ‘next flight’ that day, they will probably put you up >in a hotel. I have had this happen, and the hotels have varied >between decent top-end hotel right across from the airport to >crack-house in lower Elbonia. You will get ‘vouchers’ for food. No >one accepts them, but you’ll get them. You may as well eat the >vouchers.
Actually, there is always one restaurant a the airport that accepts the vouchers. It will be closed. Alan Gore | is like giving whiskey and car keys Software For PC’s, Inc. | to teenaged boys" – P. J. O’Rourke http://www.alangore.com
Response:
> You will NOT be compensated for cancelled flights IF the cancellation > is due to weather. Be advised – nearly all flight cancellations are > deemed by the airline to be ‘due to weather.’ Who decides what ‘due > to weather’ means? The airline, duh. > You will NOT be compensated for lost luggage, unless you are truly a > determined person. You will spend weeks on hold, listening to busy > signals, writing e-mail messages and letters that get no response, and > you’ll be asked to produce original receipts for anything you’re > claiming was in your bag. Tell me – do you have the receipts for the > suit you bought 2 years ago, or the electric razor, or for that > matter, the bag itself? I don’t. I doubt many people do.
<snipped> Bill – You did a good job telling it "as it is". I suspect it’s time for Congress to actually pass an airline passengers Bill of Rights. You know the "Customers First" policies which most airlines adopted to stop congress from passing such a law? If you want to find the text of those policies you need to dig for them and when you do locate them, the majority of the contents are all Bullshit. In one such document, it claims the airline is to provide you with a voucher of $25 or greater for delayed luggage. Never had that one happen, even after asking. While it’s a pain, I suggest others find these documents, keep copies of them, and use them to your benefit when you start getting screwed around, FWIW. As far as lost luggage – it’s a pain to get reimbursed and they do expect receipts. Who the hell keeps receipts for everything they purchased? I had to make a claim last year for lost luggage and I had to spend hours going through credit card statements, bank statements, receipts, etc… In the end I managed to find most of the receipts or a credit card statement showing clothing purchases, but it was a pain. It required that I was persistent, many letters and phone calls went unanswered, but in the end, after many hours of bullshit, certified letters, long distance phone calls, etc., I finally did get the reimbursement for the lost luggage. The system is setup to make it as difficult as possible on the customer to right a wrong and don’t even think of asking for something like a travel voucher for the inconvenience after they’ve fucked you, because you won’t get it in 9 cases out of 10. Just be happy they paid your claim for lost luggage, two to three months later, despite all the bullshit one must go through to get it paid. Luckily, most lost luggage is found sooner or later, but there are cases where it just "disappears" (and if you look on EBay or visit a Pawn Shop, you might just be able to buy your items back!). -Steve
Response:
I gotta give Bill credit. He has served his time. His answer is pretty dead on! For U.S. domestic flights you need to look at the individual airlines’ "Contract of Carriage"- usually found on their web site. For the most part, since deregulation of the C.A.B., the airlines have pretty much written their own rules. After deregulation, the airlines were after the most passengers. Now the airlines are after the passenger’s money – screw the passengers. Very recent examples: Lowering the weight of checked baggage allowed from 70#s per bag to 50#’s per bag. If your bag weights 51#’s some airlines will charge you $25.00. If you don’t pay the airline $100.00 and fare difference, and don’t tell the airline of your change of plans before your flight departs, you loose all value of your ticket. Reduction of amenities such as food and service by a real person – how long before they charge you to check in with a real person or to check any bag? Want a advance seat assignment – it’s going to cost you. A can of coke may cost you a dollar. A can of beer on some airlines already cost you $4.00. I wonder why AA is selling off their headset? Maybe no in-flight movie because they have to pay royalties? Regards Bill!
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> (I will bet this has been covered before) > I am looking for a document. It outlines how airlines must compensate > customers for flight delays, cancellations, and other inconveniences. > Does anyone know what this document is called? Does each airline have > its own policy/document? Thanks… > Every airline is required to have such a document. You can find it on > the websites of most airlines. For example: > http://www.ual.com/page/article/0,1360,2981,00.html > http://www.ual.com/page/article/0,1360,2671,00.html?navSource=Related… > I recommend a search of Google for the terms "conditions of carriage" > and "airline" and you will probably find what you are looking for. > Honestly, you gotta do some of the work yourself! > Having said that, let me add the following: it is all bullshit. > You will NOT be compensated in any way for a flight delay. Airlines > do not promise to get you there on time, just to get you there. > Someday. > You will NOT be compensated for cancelled flights IF the cancellation > is due to weather. Be advised – nearly all flight cancellations are > deemed by the airline to be ‘due to weather.’ Who decides what ‘due > to weather’ means? The airline, duh. > You will NOT be compensated for lost luggage, unless you are truly a > determined person. You will spend weeks on hold, listening to busy > signals, writing e-mail messages and letters that get no response, and > you’ll be asked to produce original receipts for anything you’re > claiming was in your bag. Tell me – do you have the receipts for the > suit you bought 2 years ago, or the electric razor, or for that > matter, the bag itself? I don’t. I doubt many people do. > What you will probably get: > If the flight is cancelled, the airline will put you on another > flight. If they don’t have one leaving in the next 2-4 hours, they > may put you on a competitor’s flight if one is available. > Sometimes when flight delays are REALLY bad and people are getting > REALLY ugly, they’ll break out a trolley car with bottled water and > Snickers bars on it and hand them out. That’s when you know they fear > actual violence. > If there is no ‘next flight’ that day, they will probably put you up > in a hotel. I have had this happen, and the hotels have varied > between decent top-end hotel right across from the airport to > crack-house in lower Elbonia. You will get ‘vouchers’ for food. No > one accepts them, but you’ll get them. You may as well eat the > vouchers. > You *might* get a voucher for discounts on future travel with the > airline. It very much depends upon how the airline employee in > question feels about you at that moment. Amounts vary between $25 and > $200. Lotta good they do me, I don’t pay for my tickets, it is all > business travel. And I have miles out the wazoo if I really want to > spend my personal time on planes. > If your luggage is lost, they will bring it to your hotel when and if > they find it. Most lost luggage does eventually show up. If it is > lost for good, too bad for you. You will fight and fight and > eventually get crap for your efforts. The system is designed this way > – they want you to eventually give up and go away. > A recent Delta flight, I was forced to check a really small but > brand-new Hartmann bag. Very expensive stuff. They managed to get it > covered with some kind of grease. I was offered a used and beat-up > Walmart bag as a ’suitable replacement.’ Get used to it – they are > crooks and they know it. And now you know it. > In the final analysis… > You will probably get where you are going more or less on time. If > you are unlucky, you’ll get there the next day or so. Sometimes it > really is the weather that forces delays, and no one can do anything > about that. Most other times they just try to claim that to avoid > putting you up in a hotel. Your luggage will most likely arrive with > you, and if not, it will be delivered to your hotel or destination > address within a day or so. Very few bags are really truly lost, but > if yours is, you’re hosed. > It is good to know the ‘rules’ that the airlines pledge to follow, but > remember that they probably won’t if push comes to shove. You can > wave their own rules around in front of their faces, you can show them > your membership card in the ancient and accepted order of important > people, they could not possibly care less. They will do just as they > please at all times. The trick is to get someone at the airline who > is pleased to please you. It is my opinion that the US airlines are > all criminals gangs run by thugs and liars, but some of their > individual employees are decent and kind people who buck the trend by > honestly trying to help whenever they can. I feel bad for those folks > – they are usually on the front lines and they catch hell not just > from the pissed-off travelers who are just beginning to twig that > they’ve been lied to, but also from their own management, who would > really prefer it if they helped to hold down costs by denying you > anything they possibly can. > And that’s the end of that screed. > Best Regards, > Bill Mattocks
Response:
(I will bet this has been covered before) I am looking for a document. It outlines how airlines must compensate customers for flight delays, cancellations, and other inconveniences. Does anyone know what this document is called? Does each airline have its own policy/document? Thanks…
Response:
> (I will bet this has been covered before) > I am looking for a document. It outlines how airlines must compensate > customers for flight delays, cancellations, and other inconveniences. > Does anyone know what this document is called? Does each airline have > its own policy/document? Thanks…
Yeah! In which case, can you get a free hotel room?
Response:
> (I will bet this has been covered before) > I am looking for a document. It outlines how airlines must compensate > customers for flight delays, cancellations, and other inconveniences. > Does anyone know what this document is called? Does each airline have > its own policy/document? Thanks…
Every airline is required to have such a document. You can find it on the websites of most airlines. For example: http://www.ual.com/page/article/0,1360,2981,00.html http://www.ual.com/page/article/0,1360,2671,00.html?navSource=Related… I recommend a search of Google for the terms "conditions of carriage" and "airline" and you will probably find what you are looking for. Honestly, you gotta do some of the work yourself! Having said that, let me add the following: it is all bullshit. You will NOT be compensated in any way for a flight delay. Airlines do not promise to get you there on time, just to get you there. Someday. You will NOT be compensated for cancelled flights IF the cancellation is due to weather. Be advised – nearly all flight cancellations are deemed by the airline to be ‘due to weather.’ Who decides what ‘due to weather’ means? The airline, duh. You will NOT be compensated for lost luggage, unless you are truly a determined person. You will spend weeks on hold, listening to busy signals, writing e-mail messages and letters that get no response, and you’ll be asked to produce original receipts for anything you’re claiming was in your bag. Tell me – do you have the receipts for the suit you bought 2 years ago, or the electric razor, or for that matter, the bag itself? I don’t. I doubt many people do. What you will probably get: If the flight is cancelled, the airline will put you on another flight. If they don’t have one leaving in the next 2-4 hours, they may put you on a competitor’s flight if one is available. Sometimes when flight delays are REALLY bad and people are getting REALLY ugly, they’ll break out a trolley car with bottled water and Snickers bars on it and hand them out. That’s when you know they fear actual violence. If there is no ‘next flight’ that day, they will probably put you up in a hotel. I have had this happen, and the hotels have varied between decent top-end hotel right across from the airport to crack-house in lower Elbonia. You will get ‘vouchers’ for food. No one accepts them, but you’ll get them. You may as well eat the vouchers. You *might* get a voucher for discounts on future travel with the airline. It very much depends upon how the airline employee in question feels about you at that moment. Amounts vary between $25 and $200. Lotta good they do me, I don’t pay for my tickets, it is all business travel. And I have miles out the wazoo if I really want to spend my personal time on planes. If your luggage is lost, they will bring it to your hotel when and if they find it. Most lost luggage does eventually show up. If it is lost for good, too bad for you. You will fight and fight and eventually get crap for your efforts. The system is designed this way – they want you to eventually give up and go away. A recent Delta flight, I was forced to check a really small but brand-new Hartmann bag. Very expensive stuff. They managed to get it covered with some kind of grease. I was offered a used and beat-up Walmart bag as a ’suitable replacement.’ Get used to it – they are crooks and they know it. And now you know it. In the final analysis… You will probably get where you are going more or less on time. If you are unlucky, you’ll get there the next day or so. Sometimes it really is the weather that forces delays, and no one can do anything about that. Most other times they just try to claim that to avoid putting you up in a hotel. Your luggage will most likely arrive with you, and if not, it will be delivered to your hotel or destination address within a day or so. Very few bags are really truly lost, but if yours is, you’re hosed. It is good to know the ‘rules’ that the airlines pledge to follow, but remember that they probably won’t if push comes to shove. You can wave their own rules around in front of their faces, you can show them your membership card in the ancient and accepted order of important people, they could not possibly care less. They will do just as they please at all times. The trick is to get someone at the airline who is pleased to please you. It is my opinion that the US airlines are all criminals gangs run by thugs and liars, but some of their individual employees are decent and kind people who buck the trend by honestly trying to help whenever they can. I feel bad for those folks – they are usually on the front lines and they catch hell not just from the pissed-off travelers who are just beginning to twig that they’ve been lied to, but also from their own management, who would really prefer it if they helped to hold down costs by denying you anything they possibly can. And that’s the end of that screed. Best Regards, Bill Mattocks
Response:
> If you’re in the US, I think you’re looking for "Rule 240." > Here’s a site that purports to list them, not sure how up to date they > are… > http://www.mytravelrights.com/travellaw.cfm?ai=3
So you can’t get a hotel room when your flight has been canceled due to bad weather just like the Christmas Day in JFK. But everybody was screaming "Give me a hotel room!" to airline employees all over the place.
Response:
> > (I will bet this has been covered before) > I am looking for a document. It outlines how airlines must compensate > customers for flight delays, cancellations, and other inconveniences. > Does anyone know what this document is called? Does each airline have > its own policy/document? Thanks…
Depends on where you;’re travelling. Try the U.S. DoT for U.S. airlines or flights in/from the U.S. European Union one for E.U. airlines or flights from the E.U.
Response:
If you’re in the US, I think you’re looking for "Rule 240." Here’s a site that purports to list them, not sure how up to date they are… http://www.mytravelrights.com/travellaw.cfm?ai=3
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> (I will bet this has been covered before) > I am looking for a document. It outlines how airlines must compensate > customers for flight delays, cancellations, and other inconveniences. > Does anyone know what this document is called? Does each airline have > its own policy/document? Thanks…