Originally Posted by
Often1
This thread is full of terrible advice. And the conclusions are simply wrong.
The flight was served by a CRJ-200 with 50 passenger seats. DOT IDB rules exempt flights served by aircraft with less than 60 seats. Thus, while OP was likely involuntarily denied boarding, he is due $0 compensation.
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The DOT complaint is, of course, a waste, because there was no DOT violation.
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publi...tm#overbooking
Like all rules, however, there are a few conditions and exceptions:
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* 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.
As I recall, the rule used be blanket exemption for planes with 60 or fewer seats, but the rule was changed in recent years..