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Wednesday
May 9, 2001
Rule 240
Airport
chaos is nothing to laugh about. The excuses are endless;
plane problems, weather, traffic. Who can be patient?
Especially after our undercover investigation found
tons of half-truths, clueless ticket agents, and misleading
information.
"Extra's" travel detective Peter Greenberg says departure
boards lie. But the numbers don't. So far this year,
more than one in every four flights was delayed. Peter
says, "There's a flight that's supposedly coming in
at 7:15. But they're claiming it's going to leave at
7:45. You know that's not going to happen."
Greenberg says it takes a full hour to turn around most
airplanes. That's when you use rule 240.
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Knowing
Your Rights
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Each
airline has its own version of Rule 240. Do not
assume that the ticket agent you deal with will
know what it is or have a copy of it handy. To
the right you will see a copy of different airlines
version of Rule 240. The specific language differs
from airline to airline, but the general terms
are similar.
*Remember,
Rule 240 only applies for delays that are totally
the airlines fault.
CLICK
HERE FOR A WALLET-SIZE PRINTOUT.
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What's rule 240? It's airline code for a travel secret
that could get you in the air while others are grounded.
If your flight is cancelled or delayed for any reason
other than weather, rule 240 says airlines should put
you on the next available flight on any airline at no
extra charge.
But the airlines won't volunteer the information. It's
up to you to call them on it. But when we did, most
carriers didn't even have a copy of rule 240 at the
counter and many airline agents hadn't even heard of
it.
So it's up to you to know your rights, if you don't
standup for yourself, you'll be sitting at the airport.
Other Travel Detective Stories
Tips from the Travel Detective
Frequent Flyer Scams
Airline Report
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