DOT Orders Airlines to Tell More to Passengers

Starting July 13, airlines will be required to tell you if you’ll be changing planes on your trip, and disclosure rules for code-share flights will be tightened.

The new rules, by the U.S. Department of Transportation, come amid growing consumer complaints and a Capitol Hill stampede of “passenger-rights” bills. Various proposals would require airlines to explain flight delays to passengers, raise compensation for “bumping” and lost luggage, and legalize cheap-fare schemes such as “hidden city” ticketing.

The plane-change rule affects particularly the elderly, disabled and people with small children, for whom changing planes can be a major inconvenience. Airlines operating in the U.S. will be required to tell customers, before they purchase their tickets, whether a flight requires a plane change.

The other new rule affects code-sharing, the practice in which an airline sells tickets that include travel on affiliated airlines; for instance, United selling for United Express. Airlines and travel agents will now have to tell passengers, before they buy tickets, who will actually be operating the flights. Airlines will also have to disclose code-sharing in advertising.

Earlier this month, the DOT fined Delta a total of $25,000 and Northwest $45,000 for failing to tell travelers when a flight involves another affiliated carrier. The DOT is also urging Congress to raise fines from $1,100 to $10,000 for each disclosure violation.