Texas Air Travelers Do You Know Your ‘New Rights’ ?

Texas has seen some great improvements in air travel in recent years. There have been construction projects at airports in Dallas, and San Antonio, and the construction never seems to end at Bush Intercontinental in Houston. Those changes on the ground are great news for travelers. Okay in Houston it makes getting a cab a bit tricky but there are good things coming.

However, some of the best news air travelers could have gotten may have "flown under the radar" this past week. It's pretty easy to see why a Presidential Election, Halloween, and a potential tropical threat in the Gulf of Mexico might have gotten a little more coverage than the recent changes in air travel. So let's catch you up on your "new rights" as an air traveler in America.

As of October 28th airlines must offer no-hassle refunds and vouchers that last five years. This rule goes into effect when an airline cancels or significantly delays flights for any reason. The rule went into effect on June 25th, compliance became mandatory as of October 28th.

You're probably wondering, what is a "significant delay". Well, that is defined like this.

a flight that arrives at its destination three hours or more after the originally scheduled time for a domestic flight, or six hours or more after the originally scheduled time for an international flight

So, if you experience that in your travels in the future, you should expect a full refund, including taxes, even on a non-refundable ticket. An airline may offer you a voucher but that voucher must remain valid for at least five years. There are a lot of other fine details that are included with the execution of a refund or new ticket. You'll want to get familiar with them, here they are.

There are  21 "passenger experience" improvements the new airline's rules and regulations address. Among them is the right to free 24/7 live customer service and a clear-cut policy on family seating fees for those who need or would like to sit together.

It's a shame that the industry required government intervention to step up its level of customer service. For those of us of a certain age, you might remember when the only phone company we had was "Ma Bell". As a monopoly in the communications industry, they had a slogan "We don't care We don't have to" or maybe it just seemed like that was their slogan. The airline industry has had a similar attitude, especially since COVID.

Here's to better trips and safe landings wherever you travel. Just make sure you know your rights for when you go. They have changed and they have changed in your favor.