Flight canceled? What Rule 240 means for you. Before the deregulation of the U.S. airline industry in 1978, every U.S. airline had to follow the same set of rules — including those dealing with "irregularities" such as canceled flights. In those days, airline fares and routes were regulated by the Civil Aeronautics Board, the predecessor to today's Federal Aviation Administration. One of these rules, number 240, specified that if an airline couldn't get you to your destination on time, it was required to put you on a competitor's flight if it would get you there faster than your original airline's next flight. Airlines were even required to put you in first class if that's all that was available. They rarely advertised this perk, however, since airlines naturally didn't want to fork over scarce cash to fly customers on a rival carrier.
But seasoned road warriors have always known they could approach the counter and say the magic words "240 me" to be put on the next flight out. Airfare Predictions, Find Cheap Airline Tickets - Farecast.
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