• What's elliott?
• About elliott
• Contact us

t o p i c s

• Business
• Commentary
• Destinations
• Help
• Leisure
• Technology
• Vault

s u b s c r i b e

• Elliott's E-Mail, a free weekly newsletter, is your insider resource for moneysaving ideas.




• Read back issues. Like what you see? Now you can become an underwriter.

a l s o

• Referring sites
• Public relations
• Visit Tripso
• Home


s e a r c h

• Find a story.



Copyright Elliott Publishing. All rights reserved. For more information, call (305) 453-4781 or send e-mail to us.

The Lowdown on Rule 240
The Travel Troubleshooter · February 5, 2002

Q: I've seen several references to an obscure airline rule that's supposed to outline your rights if you're bumped from a flight. I've also heard that airlines don't acknowledge the rule unless you mention it by name. Can you help?

-- Chris Ettore

A: You're talking about Rule 240, one of the most cited but least understood rules in air travel.

There are enough myths about this rule to fill a whole volume. Among them:

  • The airlines have abolished Rule 240. That's nonsense. It is very much a part of your airline's contract of carriage, the full text of the agreement between you and your carrier.

  • Rule 240 is a secret. It's not. Although airlines make it very difficult to find a copy of their contract on their websites, and often "edit" the document for brevity, we're still not talking about a classified document.

  • Citing Rule 240 entitles you to better treatment by an airline. Not true. I've heard some of my colleagues tell air travelers that saying "240 me" at the ticket counter will tag them as an "insider" and entitle them to preferred treatment. But most gate agents just find that kind of behavior annoying.

  • Rule 240 is a "killer app" rule that applies to your entire air travel experience. Wrong. This isn't some obscure statute that, if discovered, forces an airline to behave. It's a very specific rule that applies only to flight delays and cancellations. That's all.
So what is rule 240? It's the part of your contract that tells you what your airline must do if its flight doesn't take off as scheduled. Not if the weather prevents your plane from flying. Not if there's a "force majeure" event, like a natural disaster, war, or any circumstances beyond the airline's control. If the plane doesn't fly, and it's the airline's fault, turn to Rule 240.

Most Rule 240s - each airline's rule is slightly different - allow for the following:
  • If your flight is delayed by more than two hours, you're entitled to a free three-minute phone call in the continental U.S.

  • If the delay is more than four hours, and it happens between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., then you can get a voucher for a hotel room. Also included: free ground transportation to the hotel.

  • Rule 240 also entitles you to meal vouchers if you're delayed by more than a few hours on some airlines. But check the fine print. It's often only the first-class passengers that get free food.
Where do you find your airline's Rule 240? Under federal law, your airline must make a copy available for inspection at its ticket counters. You may also request one by mail or go to your airline's website and download it. Here's a link to Delta Air Lines' contract, for example (downloadable as a .PDF file).

I'm hesitant to include more links because the addresses change frequently. You're far better off clicking on your carrier's site and searching for its contract yourself.

Once you have a chance to study Rule 240, as well as the rest of the contract, you'll be a better-informed traveler. But that doesn't give you a license to be snippy with an airline employee. Don't wave the contract in a gate agent's face if you're not getting what you want. Don't demand to be "240ed."

Instead, politely mention the contract as a reference point if a reservations agent isn't offering you what you think she should under the contract terms. Some agents aren't aware of the rule numbers, so avoid talking about the rules in terms of numbers as if you're ordering off a menu in a Chinese restaurant.

Use plain English, as in, "I'm talking about the section on flight delays and cancellations…"

If the agent doesn't see things your way, you can always appeal to a station manager or a supervisor. But please, don't scream, and don't push a copy of the contract under the airline employee's nose.

Christopher Elliott is a travel commentator based in Key Largo, Fla. All e-mailed questions may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion. ChrisCrossings appears weekly on this site.