Algernon Moncrieff
Algernon Moncrieff's JournalInvoluntary Bumping
No, not 70s dancing.
https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/fly-right
DOT requires each airline to give all passengers who are bumped involuntarily a written statement describing their rights and explaining how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn't. Those travelers who don't get to fly are frequently entitled to denied boarding compensation in the form of a check or cash. The amount depends on the price of their ticket and the length of the delay:
If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.
If the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights), the airline must pay you an amount equal to 200% of your one-way fare to your final destination that day, with a $675 maximum.
If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles (400% of your one-way fare, $1350 maximum).
If your ticket does not show a fare (for example, a frequent-flyer award ticket or a ticket issued by a consolidator), your denied boarding compensation is based on the lowest cash, check or credit card payment charged for a ticket in the same class of service (e.g., coach, first class) on that flight.
You always get to keep your original ticket and use it on another flight. If you choose to make your own arrangements, you can request an "involuntary refund" for the ticket for the flight you were bumped from. The denied boarding compensation is essentially a payment for your inconvenience.
If you paid for optional services on your original flight (e.g., seat selection, checked baggage) and you did not receive those services on your substitute flight or were required to pay a second time, the airline that bumped you must refund those payments to you.
Like all rules, however, there are a few conditions and exceptions:
To be eligible for compensation, you must have a confirmed reservation. A written confirmation issued by the airline or an authorized agent or reservation service qualifies you in this regard even if the airline can't find your reservation in the computer, as long as you didn't cancel your reservation or miss a reconfirmation deadline.
Each airline has a check-in deadline, which is the amount of time before scheduled departure that you must present yourself to the airline at the airport. For domestic flights most carriers require you to be at the departure gate between 10 minutes and 30 minutes before scheduled departure, but some deadlines can be an hour or longer. Check-in deadlines on international flights can be as much as three hours before scheduled departure time. Some airlines may simply require you to be at the ticket/baggage counter by this time; most, however, require that you get all the way to the boarding area. Some may have deadlines at both locations. If you miss the check-in deadline, you may have lost your reservation and your right to compensation if the flight is oversold.
As noted above, no compensation is due if the airline arranges substitute transportation which is scheduled to arrive at your destination within one hour of your originally scheduled arrival time.
If the airline must substitute a smaller plane for the one it originally planned to use, the carrier isn't required to pay people who are bumped as a result. In addition, on flights using aircraft with 30 through 60 passenger seats, compensation is not required if you were bumped due to safety-related aircraft weight or balance constraints.
The rules do not apply to charter flights, or to scheduled flights operated with planes that hold fewer than 30 passengers. They don't apply to international flights inbound to the United States, although some airlines on these routes may follow them voluntarily. Also, if you are flying between two foreign cities -- from Paris to Rome, for example -- these rules will not apply. The European Commission has a rule on bumpings that occur in an EC country; ask the airline for details, or go to http://ec.europa.eu/transport/passengers/air/air_en.htm [external link].
Airlines set their own "boarding priorities" -- the order in which they will bump different categories of passengers in an oversale situation. When a flight is oversold and there are not enough volunteers, some airlines bump passengers with the lowest fares first. Others bump the last passengers to check in. Once you have purchased your ticket, the most effective way to reduce the risk of being bumped is to get to the airport early. For passengers in the same fare class the last passengers to check in are usually the first to be bumped, even if they have met the check-in deadline. Allow extra time; assume that the roads are backed up, the parking lot is full, and there is a long line at the check-in counter.
Airlines may offer free tickets or dollar-amount vouchers for future flights in place of a check for denied boarding compensation. However, if you are bumped involuntarily you have the right to insist on a check if that is your preference. Once you cash the check (or accept the free flight), you will probably lose the ability to pursue more money from the airline later on. However, if being bumped costs you more money than the airline will pay you at the airport, you can try to negotiate a higher settlement with their complaint department. If this doesn't work, you usually have 30 days from the date on the check to decide if you want to accept the amount of the check. You are always free to decline the check (e.g., not cash it) and take the airline to court to try to obtain more compensation. DOT's denied boarding regulation spells out the airlines' minimum obligation to people they bump involuntarily. Finally, don't be a "no-show." If you are holding confirmed reservations you don't plan to use, notify the airline. If you don't, they will cancel all onward or return reservations on your trip.
The chances of being killed in a terrorist attack are about 1 in 20 million.
LINKGod Bless our men and women in uniform (seriously - no sarcasm intended), but remember that nothing they are doing over there is likely to make us truly safer. Better roads, better heathcare, and continuing to move toward self-sufficiency in clean energy will make us safer and more secure.
... and staying the Hell away from sharks - that helps too.
Do you find that Led Zeppelin fans don't like The Who & Vice Versa?
John Bonham and Keith Moon were two of a kind and friends. Reportedly, Moon is the one that inspired the name "Led Zeppelin" for what had been being billed as "The New Yardbirds." So it's odd, to me, that Who fans I meet tend not to like Zep. I'm a Zep fan, and I've asked Who fans why they feel this way, and the discussions seem to quickly degenerate into trading insults.
Maybe it's the nature of the era: The Beatles or the Stones; Elvis or Buddy Holly; Tupac or Biggie; Prince or MJ. There always seem to be real and contrived rivalries.
Two middle aged folks and a teenager (13) visit Minneapolis/St Paul
Other than M of A, what should they do?
Currently on the agenda: Paisley Park and Mill City Museum. What else?
The Rolling Stone top 100 Guitarists List
Link to the listEliot Rosewater posted for DUers to note the greatest guitarists. I thought I'd have some fun with that. Two years ago, Rolling Stone assembled a panel of alleged experts and compiled a list of the 100 greatest guitarists. They didn't say "of the Rock era" but it's clearly implied.
My theory is that these lists are designed to cause arguments -- otherwise, who'd talk about them? My mission to those willing to participate:
- Identify the glaring omissions
- Identify those who belong on the list, but are way too high or too low
- Identify those who don't belong on the list
IMHO
Glaring omission: Lowell George of Little Feat (there are many, many others)
Too high/low: Alex Lifeson is down near the bottom of the top 100 - I'd put him closer to the middle
Doesn't belong: John Lennon is a gifted songwriter and the Beatles were a great group - but he has no business in the top 100.
So it's 2017. Where are the unpublished JD Salinger works?
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/08/26/215734035/new-salinger-books-will-arrive-in-2015-authors-sayThat was four years ago. What is the holdup?
Hey!
I haven't been on for like six weeks. There has been some family stuff going on and -- well to be honest -- politics as a topic just sucks right now. But I was genuinely touched to see that, in spite of my absence, some Valentine hearts floated my way. To whoever (whomever?) that was - thanks and back at ya!
10 Reasons Why, No Matter How Awful Trump Gets, His Supporters Dont Care
Forward Progressives (Link)7. He panders to their delusional beliefs that arent true but they think they are: While this is similar to #3, its slightly different. When Trump launched his campaign, he got many conservatives to truly believe:
Most illegal immigrants are criminals. (False)
The economy is worse now than when President Obama took office. (False)
Theres no vetting process for refugees. (False)
Violent crime is skyrocketing. (False)
ISIS is pouring across our southern border. (False)
President Obama wasnt deporting illegal immigrants. (False)
The military became weak under Obama. (False)
The 7 nations he banned have been tied to fatal terrorist attacks in the U.S. (False)
Barack Obama faked two versions of his birth certificate. (False)
There are obviously plenty more, but I think Ive made my point. Long before Trump ever became a presidential candidate, let alone Barack Obamas successor, the people who now support him believed many of the lies he used to reach the level of success he has. All he really did was recognize that these folks believed in a whole lot of fantasies, then pandered to them.
8. They live inside of an information bubble where very little truth is told: A big reason why so many Trump supporters are ignorant, stupid, and believe in fantasies is because theyve wrapped themselves inside a bubble of fake information (largely driven by Fox News) that has completely distorted their views on reality. I know no one reading this will do this, but if you only followed Fox News for an entire month, youd quickly see how warped the news coverage is from that network. When the rest of the world is reporting on the endless list of lies Trump has told, Fox News is talking about how the DOW had the biggest one-day gain in a presidents first 30 days since 1909, how two moms in New Jersey are worried about Islam being taught in schools, and boasting about how Ivanka Trumps fragrance has become a best-seller on Amazon. I went back through two days worth of Fox News tweets and found almost nothing negative about Trump.
Thats how you create a delusional alternative reality. When the entire world is reporting on how ridiculous and incompetent Trump is, but the sources you trust arent.
9. Theyre too proud to admit they were wrong: While this one might be more of a personal observation, Im friends with several Trump supporters who I know, deep down, are aware that hes not qualified for the job and has been an embarrassment thus far. However, because theyre too proud to admit that they were wrong about him, theyve doubled-down on their support. The last thing they want to admit was Hillary Clinton supporters were right. Many of them will go down with the ship, so to speak, before theyll ever admit they were conned by Donald Trump.
Should I tell my Republican Senators and Rep that the Bannon/NSC decision is bad?
I have the strange notion that the general or admiral heading the JCS knows a bit more about national security than the operator of a political media web outlet. It'd be like if I had cancer: I could see the senior oncologist at Sloan-Kettering...or I could see Skinner.
It isn't Trump
It's about half this country and most of the Republican party.
This is what America has become.
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