Contract, shmontract!

Passengers might be forgiven for being unaware of the dense airline contract of carriage — the legal agreement between them and their carrier. But airlines? When they “forget” about their obligations to their customers, that seems like an awfully convenient form of memory loss.

Which brings us to the case of Jack Rivers and Delta Air Lines.

Rivers’ parents were scheduled to fly from Des Moines, IA, to Glasgow by way of Atlanta and London later this month. But Delta canceled part of their itinerary and rebooked them on flights that forced the couple to spend the night in Atlanta.

Delta’s obligations during a schedule change are clearly outlined in its contract.

Under the terms, Delta could offer a full refund (which is almost always impractical, given that fares go up as the date of the flight approaches) or a flight of the airline’s choosing.

Rivers believed that Delta should pay for the hotel in Atlanta, “but after repeated attempts, Delta only offers to transfer them to hotels.com for a ‘discounted’ room,” he said.

I suggested that Rivers write to Delta, politely reminding it of its contractual commitments. He did, and a short while later received a phone call from a Delta representative offering to pay up to $100 for his parents’ hotel room.

The airline did the right thing, finally.

So what does this mean to you?

I think this is the time of year — the busy summer travel season is just getting underway — when the airline industry suffers a widespread form of contract amnesia. Simply put, they forget what they’re supposed to do. I remember this happening last year as well with several other airlines.

The solution is to carry a printout of your airline’s contract with you when you’re on the road, or at least have access to a wireless connection where you can retrieve the document.

I hope it won’t be necessary, but you may need to remind your carrier of what it’s supposed to do.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

Be the first to comment