White House to Destroy More Airline Jobs

[JustaNumber]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/02/airlines-pay-bumped-passengers-white-house-says/

Airlines Should Pay Bumped Passengers More, White House Says
Published June 02, 2010

The Obama administration on Wednesday proposed sweeping changes to protect U.S. air travelers, including raising the amount airlines have to compensate passengers bumped from full flights to as much as $1,300.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood unveiled a number of proposals for new consumer protections, including a change that would give passengers 24 hours to cancel reservations without penalty. Currently, a fee is customarily charged for any booked flight.

"Airline passengers have rights and should be able to expect fair and reasonable treatment when they fly," LaHood said during a press conference Wednesday. "With this rulemaking, we're proposing to strengthen the consumer protections enacted last month and raise the bar for airlines when it comes to treating passengers fairly."

Among the proposed changes include increased compensation for passengers involuntarily bumped from flights. Current bumping fees range from $400 to $800.

The new rule would also require airlines to fully and prominently disclose baggage fees, prohibit price increases after a ticket is purchased, and give passengers timely notice of flight status changes.

The proposal extends to foreign airlines a three-hour limit on the time airlines can keep passengers waiting on airport tarmacs. Existing rules already limit the delays by domestic carriers.

The Department of Transportation must solicit comment on rules for 60 days, but barring changes, the proposals become final in six months.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

 

[JustaNumber]

Seems like a brilliant idea to me. Let passengers cancel without penalty, and then penalize airlines who overbook to compensate. Therefore force airlines to fly around with empty seats, losing all kinds of money. Bye bye airline jobs.

 

[Dornier 335]

Looking at Euroland where more stringent rules exists I don't see this destroying airline jobs. Run your airline operation more efficiently, and stop the fat bonuses for upper management!

 

[sunlitpath]

It's ok, Airlines will get their money back through increasing ticket prices accordingly; and since domestic capacity has been dramatically reduced, it will be very easy to do. Unlike the Whitehouse, the airlines have individuals who are very good at basic arithmetic.

 

[DGdaPilot]

All the non-rev'ers will appreciate more empty seats. The load factors are killer these days.

 

[StopNTSing]

So how's that Hope & Change thing working out for you, anyway?

 

[Data]

This will be an easy fix for the airlines, they'll simply make tickets non-refundable or non-transferable or charge higher fees to change flights. Ticket prices will also increase, the rules will be more stringent and the customer loses in the end. Sounds about right for a 'new' government law to 'protect' the consumer...

 

[JustaNumber]

All the non-rev'ers will appreciate more empty seats. The load factors are killer these days.

While non-revving is a great benefit, I would rather see airlines not lose any more money, and not see any more pilots on the street.

 

[Smarta$$]

I support the rule. I do not believe the airlines should be able to oversell flights and strand passengers that paid for a ticket. People travel for a reason, and it is often an important one. Being left at the gate because the airline sold 115 tickets on a 100 seat airplane is inexcusable. If the demand is their to oversell a flight in the first place, they surely can charge a few more dollars per ticket to make up the lost revenue. After all, they were able to sell more tickets than they have seats.

The argument that not everyone shows up sometimes is worthless. Sometimes, they do. And they should have the seat they paid for.

 

[mkingmei]

Buy the ticket, pay for the ticket... I don't care if your in the seat or not.
Overbooking can be done away with if the airlines just adopt a no refund policy. Sometimes the easiest solution is truly the easiest solution.