Here's How The New Airline Reimbursement Rules Benefit The Average Traveler, Per A Lawyer

If you're a frequent flier, you probably know that if you're denied boarding on an overbooked flight, you get stuck waiting at an airport for hours after your departure time, or an airline loses your luggage, you may be entitled to compensation. If you've been unfortunate enough to experience any of these aggravating circumstances firsthand, you probably also know that getting the money you deserve from the airline can be tricky. Luckily, that process recently got a lot easier. In 2024, the Department of Transportation put new regulations in place which make it simpler for aggrieved passengers to get the money they're entitled to for missing luggage, flight delays, and getting bumped from flights.

To find out exactly what travelers are owed in these situations, Islands spoke to law professor and consumer advocacy attorney Danny Karon, known as the "Lovable Lawyer." Karon told us the secret to making sure you get what you're owed when things go wrong on your flight. "It's all about advocating for yourself, knowing your rights, and standing up for them," the expert revealed. "Remember, just because someone behind a counter at an airport told you that you aren't eligible for compensation doesn't mean it's true. Be professional yet resolute."

Losing your luggage can turn a vacation into a nightmare. But if you just arrived at the terminal and can't find your bag on the carousel, you at least have a better shot at getting compensated than you did before. According to attorney Danny Karon, the airline has 12 hours to get your bag to you, and if they don't, they owe you money — both for the necessities you need to buy immediately and for the value of your luggage and the things inside. Best of all, that reimbursement has to come in the form of actual money, not airline miles or credit toward your next flight.

If your flight has been delayed significantly (more than three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international flights) or canceled, Karon assured us that you should get a cash reimbursement for your trouble, too. If the flight is overbooked, you get bumped without your permission, and the airline can't get you to your destination within an hour of your original arrival time, you're entitled to even more money. Karon explained: "If you arrive more than an hour late, the airline must pay you 200% of your one-way ticket price, up to $775. And if you arrive more than two hours late, or if the airline can't provide a suitable substitution, it must pay you 400% of your one-way ticket price, up to $1,550."

Hopefully, airlines will know what they owe you when your flight doesn't go according to plan and pay up — but if not, you might have to go the extra mile and ask for it. According to Lovable Lawyer Danny Karon, the best thing you can do is to look up the mailing addresses of the airline's customer service, the general counsel's office, and the CEO, and send a physical letter in the mail explaining what happened. As convenient as online chats and calls are, Karon warned that they aren't as effective in this situation. Make sure to stay calm and polite in your letter, even if the situation is extremely frustrating. "It's true what we all learned as kids: You attract more bees with honey than vinegar," Karon told us. "And this adage applies especially well with the airlines."

Karon noted that, in your letter, you should explain what happened and kindly state the possibility of moving the case to small-claims court if you aren't reimbursed. Include copies of your travel itinerary and any receipts you have to prove the expenses you had to pay because of what happened. This will generally be effective because, as Karon told us, "It will cost them more to hire legal counsel to show up in court than it will cost them to reimburse you!"