Contract

If your flight is delayed or canceled on an international trip, the law may protect you against losses like the cost of accommodation, meals or alternative transportation. The Montreal Convention is an international treaty with over 130 participating countries, including the U.S. It creates strict rules for how airlines handle claims for flight delays and […]

Unless you live on some remote planet, you know the equation that dominates the current air travel scene: Surging demand plus unprepared industry equals chaos. This year has seen an unparalleled rate of flight cancellations and delays, with no immediate fix on the horizon beyond wholesale pre-emptive cancellations. So if, like me, you're holding to plans for a late-summer or fall trip, you're probably also considering what rights and remedies you'll get if you get caught in the cancellation and delay mess. For travel within the U.S., the only legally required relief concerns the single case of denied boarding ("Bumping") due to overbooking. Beyond that, all you're due is what each airline's contract of carriage specifies. And those contracts leave you vulnerable to some big gotchas.