Holiday Air Travel? Know Your Passenger "Flight Rights"

(Undated) -- Whether it’s O’Hare, Midway, Quad City or Peoria, Illinois airports will be bustling this week with folks catching flights to their Thanksgiving destinations. While the thought of delays or cancellations may be stressful, airline passengers can take comfort in knowing they have some protections under the law. Abe Scarr with the Illinois Public Interest Research Group says most people don’t fly often and may be unaware of their rights as a passenger. For overbooked flights, he says there is no amount of mandated compensation for those who volunteer to be bumped, but airlines typically negotiate with passengers willing to take a later flight. For those involuntarily bumped, Scarr says if the flight is not re-booked within one to two hours, a passenger is owed 200 percent of the one-way fare, up to 650 dollars.