Delta Air Lines was fined $750,000 by the Transportation Department on Wednesday for bumping passengers from full flights without asking for volunteers and without detailing the compensation available, according to USA Today.
The airline committed similar violations in July 2009 when is was fined $375,000.
"Airline passengers deserve to be treated fairly, especially if they are forced to miss a flight because an airline oversold seats," Ray LaHood, the Transportation Secretary, said when he announced the fine. "Consumers have rights, and we will continue to take enforcement action when airlines violate our rules to protect the traveling public."
Federal regulations require airlines to ask for volunteers that are willing to give up their seat on the plane in exchange for compensation when flights are oversold. If they don't receive enough volunteers, and passengers still need to be bumped, they are entitled to up to $1,300, depending on the cost of their tickets and the length of the delay.
The aviation enforcement office of the Transportation Department reviewed 310 bumping complaints against Delta from November 2010 to January 2012. The complaints stated that Delta didn't seek volunteers and counted some bumped passengers as volunteers.
The airline denied widespread violations and disputed many of the complaints. They also said they have invested heavily in compliance with regulation since the 2009 fine.
Delta had 121,535 volunteers and 5,342 involuntary bumps out of more than 100 million passengers last year. They had the fourth-lowest rate of bumping passengers out of 15 airlines that were tracked during 2012, according to statistics from the Transportation Department.
To avoid litigation, Delta has made an agreement with federal regulators where they will pay $325,000 within 30 days and can use the remaining $425,000 of the penalty on electronic tablets to record bumping decisions and train staffers to use the equipment.
The electronics will help both staffers and passengers understand more clearly what is being offered and accepted when flights are oversold, said Anthony Black, a spokesman for Delta.
"We are continuing to invest heavily in technology that is designed to improve our procedures in handling oversold flights," Black said. "We are also working with our employees to ensure that they are clearly and correctly communicating the oversold rules that are already in place."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
