Quiz Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? By Kaitlin Pitsker, Associate Editor | Kiplinger's Personal Finance May 18, 2017 iStockphoto Oh, the growing litany of woes surrounding air travel—long security lines, items confiscated from your bags or thrown away, overbooked planes, delays, bumpy flights, lost baggage.Now a new indignity has been etched in the minds of travelers: a passenger who was involuntarily bumped from a United Airlines flight and dragged off the plane by airport security. Outrage over that episode has United and other airlines working to put passengers at ease again. But do you know your rights when your travel plans are left on the tarmac? Take our nine-question quiz to see how well you know your air-travel rights. Start Quiz Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 1 of 9 To ensure flights are full, airlines routinely sell more tickets for a flight than the number of seats available. But what are the odds that you’ll be turned away if you have a confirmed reservation on a major carrier? 1 in 10 1 in 1,000 1 in 1 million Passengers with confirmed reservations can’t be denied a seat Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 1 of 9 To ensure flights are full, airlines routinely sell more tickets for a flight than the number of seats available. But what are the odds that you’ll be turned away if you have a confirmed reservation on a major carrier? 1 in 101 in 1,000 Each year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, about half a million travelers with confirmed reservations are bumped off flights as a result of overbooking. That’s only 0.1% of passengers annually. Many of those travelers volunteer to give up their seat in exchange for incentives. 1 in 1 millionPassengers with confirmed reservations can’t be denied a seat Next Question Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 2 of 9 Your flight is overbooked. The gate agent is looking for volunteers to take a later flight in exchange for a travel voucher worth a few hundred dollars. Before volunteering to give up your seat, you should find out: How soon the airline will be able to get you on another flight If your new flight will be nonstop or require a connection The expiration date on your voucher All of the above Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 2 of 9 Your flight is overbooked. The gate agent is looking for volunteers to take a later flight in exchange for a travel voucher worth a few hundred dollars. Before volunteering to give up your seat, you should find out: How soon the airline will be able to get you on another flightIf your new flight will be nonstop or require a connectionThe expiration date on your voucherAll of the above Make sure you get all of these important details. Your new flight could be several hours later or the next day, require connections, or route you through a different airport than originally planned. And travel vouchers typically expire after a year. Next Question Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 3 of 9 The gate agent offers $250 in travel vouchers to volunteers willing to take a later flight. Crickets. No one is stepping forward. You’re interested, but want a better deal. There’s nothing you can do but wait to see if they make another announcement. Right? True False Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 3 of 9 The gate agent offers $250 in travel vouchers to volunteers willing to take a later flight. Crickets. No one is stepping forward. You’re interested, but want a better deal. There’s nothing you can do but wait to see if they make another announcement. Right? TrueFalse If there aren’t many volunteers, you may be able to negotiate with the gate agent for a better deal, such as a seat upgrade on your new flight. It never hurts to go up and ask. Next Question Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 4 of 9 Your flight is overbooked, and no one is volunteering to give up a seat. What information does the airline use to decide who will be bumped from the flight? The cost of your ticket and what class seat you purchased The time that you checked in for your flight Whether you’re enrolled in the airline’s frequent-flier program All of the above Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 4 of 9 Your flight is overbooked, and no one is volunteering to give up a seat. What information does the airline use to decide who will be bumped from the flight? The cost of your ticket and what class seat you purchasedThe time that you checked in for your flightWhether you’re enrolled in the airline’s frequent-flier programAll of the above Each airline weighs these metrics differently, but all of them matter. While you can't do anything about how much you paid for your ticket at this point, you can minimize your chances of being bumped by checking in online as soon as you can and being at the gate on time. Next Question Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 5 of 9 You’ve been bumped from your flight involuntarily, but the airline places you on another flight scheduled to arrive at your destination within an hour of your original plan. What does the airline owe you for your troubles? Nothing A full refund of your ticket Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 5 of 9 You’ve been bumped from your flight involuntarily, but the airline places you on another flight scheduled to arrive at your destination within an hour of your original plan. What does the airline owe you for your troubles? Nothing If the airline offers you an alternative that’s scheduled to deliver you to your destination within an hour of your original arrival time, expect nothing more than an apology for the inconvenience, even if you had a confirmed reservation. A full refund of your ticket Next Question Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 6 of 9 If you've been unwillingly bumped from your flight because of overbooking, the airline is required to: Arrange a confirmed seat for you on the next available flight Pay you either two times or four times the price of your original one-way fare, depending on how long after your original arrival time you are delayed Issue you a check instead of a travel voucher if you request it All of the above Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 6 of 9 If you've been unwillingly bumped from your flight because of overbooking, the airline is required to: Arrange a confirmed seat for you on the next available flightPay you either two times or four times the price of your original one-way fare, depending on how long after your original arrival time you are delayedIssue you a check instead of a travel voucher if you request itAll of the above The airline will make new travel arrangements for you. If your arrival is delayed between one and two hours for a domestic trip or between one and four hours for international travel, the Department of Transportation requires the airline to pay you twice the price of your original one-way fare, up t... Read more ˅ The airline will make new travel arrangements for you. If your arrival is delayed between one and two hours for a domestic trip or between one and four hours for international travel, the Department of Transportation requires the airline to pay you twice the price of your original one-way fare, up to $675. For delays that stretch more than two hours for a domestic trip or more than four hours for an international flight—or if the airline doesn’t make alternative arrangements for you—the airline owes you four times the price of your one-way fare, up to $1,350. And you have the right to insist on a check, rather than a voucher. Less ˄ Next Question Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 7 of 9 Your plane has left the gate and is sitting on the tarmac when a delay is announced. Groans all around. How long can this last, and what must the airline provide while you wait? Settle in. You can use the bathroom, but you’ll be stuck in this metal tube until you reach your destination or the flight is canceled. The airline must provide updates from the crew every 30 minutes. You can use the bathroom during the delay. After two hours, the airline must provide food and water, and by law they can’t keep you on the tarmac for more than three hours. Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 7 of 9 Your plane has left the gate and is sitting on the tarmac when a delay is announced. Groans all around. How long can this last, and what must the airline provide while you wait? Settle in. You can use the bathroom, but you’ll be stuck in this metal tube until you reach your destination or the flight is canceled.The airline must provide updates from the crew every 30 minutes. You can use the bathroom during the delay. After two hours, the airline must provide food and water, and by law they can’t keep you on the tarmac for more than three hours. After numerous incidents that left passengers stranded on the tarmac for hours on end—nearly half a day in some cases—the U.S. Department of Transportation added a rule to charge airlines hefty fines if they keep passengers waiting on the tarmac for long periods or fail to provide basic services... Read more ˅ After numerous incidents that left passengers stranded on the tarmac for hours on end—nearly half a day in some cases—the U.S. Department of Transportation added a rule to charge airlines hefty fines if they keep passengers waiting on the tarmac for long periods or fail to provide basic services during the delay. The airline can’t keep you on the tarmac for more than three hours (or more than four hours for international flights), and it must provide certain basic services in the meantime. Less ˄ Next Question Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 8 of 9 There’s an unruly passenger aboard your flight. Under what circumstances can the flight crew decide to return to the gate or land at the nearest airport to remove the passenger? The passenger refuses to stay in his or her seat The passenger refuses to follow directions from the flight crew The passenger says or does something that is upsetting or offensive to the flight crew Any of the above Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 8 of 9 There’s an unruly passenger aboard your flight. Under what circumstances can the flight crew decide to return to the gate or land at the nearest airport to remove the passenger? The passenger refuses to stay in his or her seatThe passenger refuses to follow directions from the flight crewThe passenger says or does something that is upsetting or offensive to the flight crewAny of the above The airlines have vast discretion here. If something you say or do upsets or offends the flight crew, or if you refuse to follow directions, you can be denied boarding or removed from the plane. Many experts cite the 9/11 attacks as the reason for airlines' more authoritative approach. Next Question Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 9 of 9 You’ve finally made it to your destination, but your checked baggage was misrouted and won’t be arriving until the next day. What will the airline provide while you wait for it to turn up? They’ll pay reasonable expenses for basic items such as toiletries or a change of clothing If you’ll be waiting more than 24 hours, the airline will replace the contents of the bag Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Question 9 of 9 You’ve finally made it to your destination, but your checked baggage was misrouted and won’t be arriving until the next day. What will the airline provide while you wait for it to turn up? They’ll pay reasonable expenses for basic items such as toiletries or a change of clothing Policies vary by airline, but most will cover the cost to replace some essential items while you wait for your bag to arrive. An airline’s policy may limit the amount to $25 or $50 of expenses a day, but you may be able to negotiate the amount.... Read more ˅ Policies vary by airline, but most will cover the cost to replace some essential items while you wait for your bag to arrive. An airline’s policy may limit the amount to $25 or $50 of expenses a day, but you may be able to negotiate the amount. Less ˄ If you’ll be waiting more than 24 hours, the airline will replace the contents of the bag See Results Quiz | Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Airline Rights When Flying? Results Next QuizThe Personal Finance Quiz See All Quizzes answer_num=2,4,2,4,1,4,2,4,1|answer_text="1 in 1,000","All of the above","False","All of the above","Nothing","All of the above","The airline must provide updates from the crew every 30 minutes. You can use the bathroom during the delay. After two hours, the airline must provide food and water, and by law they can’t keep you on the tarmac for more than three hours.","Any of the above","They’ll pay reasonable expenses for basic items such as toiletries or a change of clothing"|total_questions=9|url=/quiz/business/T059-S002-know-your-rights-as-an-air-traveler/index.html|total_pages=20|page_id=16774|evaltext_num=0|kipad_id=TravelQuizzes Advertisement Advertisement Sponsored Financial Content Show comments