New rules affecting air travelers' rights enacted by the Deptartment of Transportation are set to be put into service Jan. 26, Consumer Reports noted recently. These rules would make pricing more transparent and require upfront disclosure of baggage fees, among other changes. But several airlines filed suit opposing the rules in a case now pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Airlines are saying they don't have the necessary systems in place to comply, consumer advocate Christopher Elliot says. It's possible the court will issue a stay or the DOT could voluntarily stay the rules before they're slated to take effect.
With the date for the changes presumptively taking effect but three weeks away, here's what you need to know:
* By law, you'll be entitled to cancel a reservation for at least 24 hours after making it, as long as the reservation is made a week or more in advance of the flight. The airline cannot require payment during the cancellation window.
* Airlines have to disclose the total cost of the trip, including associated fees and taxes, upfront in their advertising and online. This is significant to consumers because, according to CNN, associated fees and taxes can add as much as 20 percent to the cost of a trip. The upfront disclosure ends "bait and switch." But the airlines balk at the disclosure as unfair, claiming other types of businesses like grocery stores and gas stations are not required to disclose taxes with their prices.
* McClatchey described baggage fees as "one of the most loathed aspects of holiday travel" in a recent article. But airlines, which made $3.4 billion in baggage fees in 2010, defend them as putting the costs associated with baggage on the customers who carry it. Under the new rules, there will still be baggage fees, but they'll have to be disclosed upfront. Shenanigans with baggage requirements changing mid-trip will be forbidden; the new rules require consistent treatment throughout a trip. That will eliminate situations like what happened to Abhijeet Utturkar. Utturkar was charged $150 at the airport for a second checked bag, Elliot said, because of a conflict between American Airlines policy and that of its code share flight for one segment of her, Jet Airways.
* Starting Jan. 26, airlines will be required to provide passengers prompt notification of flight delays of 30 minutes or longer.
* Once a trip is booked, the airline won't be allowed to change the fare except to pass on any increase in government taxes and fees.
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