Customer Protections Soaring to New Heights with Airline Regulations

Online, April 23, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina (bbb.org) shares new travel regulations from the Department of Transportation (DOT), that will help US airlines to better serve travelers, including more than eight million passengers who pass through Raleigh-Durham International Airport each year.

Complaints to Better Business Bureau concerning airlines have increased more than 170 percent in the last five years. The DOT has seen a similar trend in rising complaints against airlines, with most related to delayed or canceled flights and lost baggage. In response to these consumer complaints and a series of incidents in which passengers were stranded on the ground aboard aircraft for lengthy periods, the DOT has agreed to put into place new rules and regulations and provide better protection to air travelers.

The new rules, 'Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections,' are effective on April 29, 2010, just in time for summer vacation travel. When flying in the US, consumers can expect airlines to improve in the following areas:

Customer Complaints - Airlines are now required to acknowledge customer complaints within 30 days and address the issue within 60 days.

Tardy Takeoffs - DOT is now allowed to penalize airlines for any domestic flight that is more than 30 minutes late on at least half its trips each month for four months in a row.

Tarmac Tribulations - Airlines are required to provide adequate food and drinking water for passengers within two hours of the aircraft being delayed. The lavatories must also remain available and operable. If the plane is delayed more than three hours on the tarmac, it must return to the gate and de-plane the passengers-barring any safety or airport disruption concerns.

Website Wait Times - Airlines are required to display on their website flight delay information for each domestic flight they operate. The Wall Street Journal reports, however, that the airline industry is asking for an extension on the deadline for compliance on this specific issue because of technology constraints.

Relaying Your Rights - Airlines must include on their Web site a customer service plan which, as recommended by DOT, would outline the company policies in regard to overbooking, baggage handling, handling customer complaints and other customer service issues.

Whether traveling by plane or automobile for summer vacations, BBB reminds travelers to protect their identity when traveling with the following tips:
•Update your contact information with friends, family, and financial service providers before you leave. If unauthorized access to your account is suspected, your bank or credit card provider may contact you. If you are out of town or your bank cannot contact you, you may not be aware of suspicious activity that should be stopped.
•If you are traveling out of the US, make sure you have your credit card issuer's special toll-free number for overseas customer service. The regular 800 number, which is usually listed on the back of the card, may not work outside the United States and Canada.
•Notify your credit card provider of the dates you will be out of the country so they do not cancel your account for charges from a remote location.
•Make your login more secure online. Memorize, rather than write down, your login ID and passwords when traveling. Also, developing a habit of regularly changing passwords makes it much more difficult for ID thieves to steal personal information.
•Be aware of security when you're using a computer that isn't yours. Avoid using unsecured wireless networks for financial transactions. Also, if you have to use an internet cafe or other source online, make sure to log out of all accounts before you leave. When possible, avoid exchanging sensitive information through a public Wi-Fi connection and wait until a trusted network can be accessed.
•Stay aware of your surroundings and the people. Distractions give identity thieves the opportunity to take your personal belongings without your knowledge.
•Consider investing in travel insurance.
•Refrain from giving out personal information unnecessarily. When you are at home or on the go you want to safeguard personal information. Make sure you know why a person or company is asking for private information and how they plan to keep the data safe.

For more advice you can trust to become a smart traveler, visit http://easternnc.bbb.org/consumer-tips-travel/.

More information on the new airline regulations can be found at regulations.gov. Unsatisfied airplane passengers are encouraged to file a complaint with both the DOT and BBB online.