A man dragged off a plane when it was overbooked...according to attorney Sam Sinas, United Airlines had the right to ask him to leave. Because when you buy a plane ticket, you're entering a contract to obey the airlines rules.
"People must understand that the contracts they're entering into these days contain all sorts of provisions that we don't bother to read," Sinas said.
He says you give up a lot of rights in the contract and unfortunately, there's not much you can do regarding the rules.
"People may be disappointed to find out that they don't really have much legal action they can pursue against an airline," Sinas said.
However, there's what he calls the passenger's bill of rights, a set of protections that apply to all airline passengers. Most involve getting reimbursed.
"When you are asked to be bumped from a flight, you can demand up to 1300 dollars to be removed from that flight," Sinas said.
If your flight was cancelled, you have the right to be rerouted or receive an entire refund. And if you're ever wondering around the airport, scratching your head and wondering where your bags are... If the airport lost your luggage, you've got the right to compensation.
Another one makes sure you don't end up stuck on the runway before takeoff, sitting in a hot plane for too long.
"The regulation allows people to have refreshments every 30 minutes, they're supposed to be given updates every 30 minutes from the airline staff and they also need to have working restrooms on the flight,” Sinas said. “If they can't have working restrooms, then the flight is supposed to go back and let the passengers off the flight."
Sinas says if the airlines break these rules, you might be owed compensation. He says to remember these reimbursements might not be just handed out to you. You'll have to ask for them-- and to be courteous, yet firm.
Sinas says if you feel your rights were violated, start by talking to the person at the service desk and their manager. If that doesn't work out, you can address the passenger service department or file a complaint with the federal aviation administration.
