Have you ever been frustrated about when you are trying to rush home, but your flight is delayed or canceled? If your answer is “yes,” Rule 240 will be helpful to you.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the rule, which was widely applied before 1978, required airlines to put passengers on a competitor’s next flight if it would get them to their destination sooner whenever its own flight was delayed or canceled. The companies were also required to upgrade passengers from economy class to first class if those were the only seats available.
Many Airlines have taken Rule 240 out of their contracts of carriage by now, but the AirfareWatchdog found at least three airlines that still have the rule: Alaska, Frontier and United.
Among the three airlines, Alaska is the only one that has language about offering higher class seats if they are the only option available. However, considering how many flights are fully booked nowadays, it seems the possibility of getting an upgrade is low. Frontier and United Airlines offer the same compensation of rerouting passengers to get to destination sooner, but they do not say about upgrading.
While these airlines provide rerouting options when a flight is delayed or canceled, other airlines that eliminated Rule 240 handle delayed or canceled flights differently.
For example, American Airlines puts passengers on its own next available flight if the original flight is delayed or canceled. The airline will also provide overnight accommodations, subject to availability, if it fails to get passengers to their destination on the expected day.
“When cancellations and major delays are experienced, you will be rerouted on our next flight with available seats. If the delay or cancellation was caused by events within our control and we do not get you to your final destination on the expected arrival day, we will provide reasonable overnight accommodations, subject to availability,” American Airlines’ contract of carriage said.
Southwest Airlines takes this situation a bit differently as it does not say “subject to availability” on its contract. The airline’s contract reads, “If circumstances within the airline’s control cause a customer to miss the last possible flight or connection of the day to his or her destination, Southwest’s customer-service agents have the authority to arrange for overnight lodging for that customer and will find the customer a hotel or motel as near to the airport as possible, at no additional cost. Customer service may also arrange for ground transportation to the overnight facility.”
You may think you would never sit down and read airlines’ contracts thoroughly before flying, but if you are well-versed in your rights as a passenger, it could save you some time and stress if your flight has been delayed or canceled.
Keep in mind, it never hurts to ask if the airline can offer any compensation even if they do not contractually abide by Rule 240.
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