Dot Enforcing Flier Rights

By Author: Steve Robinson
Total Articles: 467
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As desirable as cheap fares, including cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages are, it is encouraging to see that the Department of Transportation (DOT) is levying fines against large travel companies that are violating new laws that protect passenger rights.

DOT’s most recent fines are being viewed as the beginning of a new era for passenger protections. This is the first time DOT has acted so aggressively to protect airline passenger rights in multiple cases within a short time period.

Recent fines issued by DOT include:

• Royal Jordanian Airlines being fined $70,000; EgyptAir $60,000; and Royal Air Maroc $60,000 after the agency reviewed these airlines websites and found assorted violations of U.S. airline passenger protection rules, including not showing the entire price of flights in their ads and not revealing baggage fees.

• JetBlue was fined $90,000 for not informing passengers on a delayed flight that they could exit the plane, if desired, while it remained at the gate with the door open. This occurred during a March flight going from New York to San Francisco. The flight ...
... started boarding a little after 7 p.m. but was unable to depart and did not close its doors until almost 10 pm.

Under new DOT airline protection rules airlines must inform passengers that they are able to exit planes that are delayed at the gate with their doors to airports still open. Airline announcements informing passengers of this must be made 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time and every 30 minutes thereafter.

• Orbitz was fined $550,000 for not “clearly and prominently” telling its customers that they may have to pay baggage fees.
Last year Orbitz was fined $60,000 for displaying ads that did not fully disclose information concerning additional taxes and fees.
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