A definitive look at the airlines’ rule 240

by Grant Martin on

Our good friend over at Airfare Watchdog, George Hobica, rolled up his sleeves this past week and dug deep into the muck of rule 240, the near-mythical term dictating how an airline needs to treat you in the case of a cancellation or misconnection. It’s kind of a tricky rule to wrap your head around, so I’ll let George explain it for you here:

“Rule 240 originally stated that in the event of a cancellation or flight misconnection, the airline would have to put you on their next flight out, or, if that wasn’t “acceptable,” on the next flight out of a competing airline if that flight would get you to your destination sooner, all at no additional cost to you. If only first class was available on the other airline, then they had to upgrade you. This only applied in circumstances under the airlines’ control, such as crew failing to show up, or mechanical problems.”

Back in the day each airline had one of these rule 240’s, but since deregulation in the industry many have stricken this rule from their operations. Each carrier, however, now has some derivative, which is where Airfarewatchdog came in and compared the differences.

It’s a handy guide if you ever get marooned by the airlines on the road and need to leverage a trip back. But a word of warning from a frequent traveler if you want to invoke rule 240 or some manifestation thereof: make sure you do your homework, know your airline, its rules and how they can apply them – you need to stay on the offensive if you’re going to get what the carriers have promised you.

Grab a scotch, take a deep breath and start reading the rules per airline over at Airfarewatchdog.com here.

Myth or magic bullet? 4 secrets about Rule 240

by Justin Glow on

If you’ve ever considered evoking Rule 240, you need to read Christopher Elliott’s explanation of the legitimacy behind an airline’s “responsibility when a flight is delayed or canceled.”

Some people say the rule is a myth, and mentioning it to a gate agent will only garner rolled eyes and strange looks. Other claim that actually it does exist. Elliott comes to the rescue and sets everyone straight.

“Clearly, there is a Rule 240. But it’s hardly an all-powerful provision that can be invoked by every stranded passenger. Somewhere between myth and a magic bullet lies the truth about Rule 240.”

He goes on to offer up four “lesser-known facts about Rule 240 that have been overlooked,” including:

  1. Every airline has a rule ‘240’ – but not every airline calls it Rule 240
  2. Rule 240 is just one part of a contract that you really ought to read
  3. Rule 240 is subject to change without notice
  4. A better name for Rule 240 is “Customers Last”

If you travel a lot and have ever thought about using Rule 240, hop over to Elliott’s blog and get the real scoop.

How to never get screwed by a cancelled flight again

by Jerry Guo on

This works for all canceled flights except in cases where it’s due to “weather.” And even in those cases, make sure it’s really canceled because of weather, as I’ve written about before. (One easy way to do this is to check if flights to your destination on other airlines are also canceled.)

Anyways, once you’ve told the ticket agent that no, in fact, the weather at your destination is a sunny 85 degrees, here’s how to avoid sleeping over at the airport or standing in a line for the next six hours.

It’s known as Rule 240. Just mentioning this little-known clause to the ticket agent may open doors. But here’s how it really works: Rule 240, a remnant of the days before deregulation, stipulates that your airline must book you on another airline’s flight if that is available and will get you to your destination quicker.

The great news is that most airlines, at least the ones that have been around before deregulation, still honor Rule 240, though it’s not officially valid anymore. Only the new airlines like JetBlue, Southwest, and Air Tran refuse to honor most of these requests. Just remember, make sure to actually say the words “Rule 240” the next time you’re at the counter.