by Jacqueline Trovato

Created on: July 29, 2009   Last Updated: July 30, 2009

Being a smart traveler involves knowing when to negotiate with the airlines. There are three principal areas where travelers can negotiate: delayed or canceled flights, overbooking and "bumping," and lost, damaged, and delayed luggage.

Delayed or canceled flights. If a flight is canceled or delayed, Rule 240 says that the airline must provide alternate transportation on another of its flights or on another carrier, at no additional cost to the traveler. All that needs to be done is to request this service from the airline.

The airline isn't required to do anything else. Airlines used to automatically provide meals, lodging, and telephone calls when flights were canceled or significantly delayed. These amenities are often still available, but the traveler must ask for them-nicely but insistently. Remember, The airline has no obligation to provide them.

Overbooking and "bumping." Airlines routinely overbook flights because of anticipated last-minute cancellations and no-shows. As a result, sometimes more people show up than the plane can hold and some passengers-even those with confirmed reservations-must be "bumped." The U.S. Department of Transportation requires the airline to ask for volunteers who will give up their seats in exchange for monetary compensation or other benefits. The amount of this monetary compensation or benefits is negotiable, and the negotiation between the airline and the volunteer takes place right there at the gate. If the volunteer doesn't like the offer, she doesn't have to take it.

If there aren't enough volunteers, the airline must bump people involuntarily. In that case unless the airline arranges a substitute flight that gets the traveler to her destination within one hour of her originally schedule arrival time, the Department of Transportation requires that the traveler be given "Denied Boarding Compensation." The amount of this compensation is set by law, and it's pretty small. More importantly, if the traveler doesn't like what's offered, they have the right to attempt to negotiate a larger compensation for the airline.

Lost, Damaged, and Delayed Luggage. If a traveler's bags are lost, damaged, or delayed, they've got some negotiating to do. If her luggage is delayed, she can sometimes negotiate small sums from the airline for personal necessities, such as toiletries. If her bag is lost, or contents damaged, the airline will compensate her for the depreciated value, not the original purchase price or current replacement cost, of the items. Whatever the offer, she can usually bump it up through negotiating. If her bag is damaged, the airline may push for repair instead of replacement; this, too, is negotiable. Make sure that luggage is examined, and a damage report is filed before leaving the airport.

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