“The journey not the arrival matters.” TS EliotFlight 651 to Bridgetown, Barbados: CANCELLED“What! How is that possible?”But it was possible and anyone who thinks I should have put quotations around the first line of this column would be wrong. The significant update to my flight from Miami to Barbados was never announced. Instead, my random glance at the screen behind the departure gate was the only clue that my flight to Barbados was going to be ... well it just wasn’t going to be taking off.Why am I going to Barbados, you ask? OK a little background: I was accepted on a month-long intensive training course under the second hat I wear (columnist is the first) as director of Amnesty International Bermuda. The course happens to be on the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados. It’s a tough life.The trip to Barbados, however, was tough. I left Bermuda at 8.20am, arrived in Miami at 10.30am. My flight to Barbados unfortunately, was not until 5.30pm!I decided to waste the seven-hour layover doing work in the airport. My feeling of accomplishment (I had finished my to-do checklist) slowly turned to annoyance when my flight was delayed by 15 minutes. Then another 15 minutes.And then finally the CANCELLED notice appeared at my departure gate.Annoyance turned to pure frustration when I was told it was due to weather and watched flights taking off and landing outside the airport windows. Barbados’ weather was also fine, according to a fellow re-booking, line-waiter.As I shifted weight from one foot to the next, I swore I was not going to leave this be. I had heard of the Passengers’ Bill of Rights, but I was never sure what it meant for me. I determined I was going to find out and I was going to make sure American Airlines followed it to a “T”.Of course as I began my research I found what happened to me was a fraction of what has happened to some passengers in the past. Example? In August 2009 a regional jet flown by ExpressJet for Continental Express sat on the tarmac in Rochester, Minnesota after being diverted overnight with 47 passengers. At least I got to a hotel.In December 2009, following the ExpressJet situation, a Passengers’ Rights Bill was passed by the United States Congress.According to the 2009 Bill of Rights a plane arriving or departing from the United States, which sits for more than two hours at the gate or on the tarmac is required to provide food and water. If it waits for more than three hours then passengers should be given a chance to disembark. Those airlines that fail to do this face penalties of $27,500 per passenger. A costly delay no doubt.More delays in December 2010 thanks to major snowstorms on the East coast of America, led to enhanced protections for passengers.These protections were passed in April this year. What do these include?1. Extends the tarmac delay to include international airlines landing in and departing from the United States as well as the domestic flights. After two hours on the tarmac, the airlines must ensure the passengers are watered and fed (fines imposed last year for domestic flights also apply). And after four hours the passengers will be allowed to deplane.2. A refund for all lost, checked bags. Ie that additional charge, which can range from $25 to $50, that some airlines may charge you when you check in. That only covers lost bags, but at least you get it back.3. No hidden fees. Passengers should be able to see, at the point of purchasing, all fees attached to their ticket. Airlines will also have to allow reservations be held at quoted prices for 24 hours after booking. Let the indecision begin.4. Bumping compensation. Passengers will now be able to get between $650 and $1,300 if they are involuntarily bumped from their flight.5. Notification of flight changes. Airlines must inform passengers of delays and bumps either at the gate, via cell phone, or online.If you are interested in more information check out: http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2011/dot5111.htmlOf course we cannot say all airlines were behaving badly before these bills, however, there is nothing wrong with ensuring the rights of the little guys (ie their needed passengers)!I, however, still think there is a lot of room for improvement with these rules: ie they did not cover my latest cancellation. There needs to be some transparency from the airlines as to why they do cancel their flights and some proof offered to their clients that the little rain shower really does ensure they cannot fly.In fact, that was some of the criticism of these new rules they could lead to cancellations rather than possible delays. So perhaps a bill of proof can be added into the next bill of rights? What do you think? What would you like to see included in the next bill?As you think about that, I’ll let you know how I dealt with my unexpected delay. After waiting in a re-booking line that featured everyone in the United States (OK slight exaggeration, but you get it), I decided to try and contact expedia.com to reschedule.I never usually use flight-booking services, but this time it proved to be worth it. Expedia.com eventually offered $50 towards a hotel for the night and booked me on a flight the next day.I was lucky. I met a couple who waited in the American Airlines line for hours to re-book and were only able to reserve standby seats ... three days later!My next step? I wrote to American Airlines through their website customer service page and very plainly stated what had happened. Their response came in two days: 3,000 miles towards my frequent flyer account. OK, it’s not amazing, but the apology made me feel better and just the acknowledgment that their inconsiderate gate agent was a problem meant all the world.Two days late (my new flight was then delayed by two-and-a-half hours), I arrived in Barbados and ready for........well I had no idea what was waiting for me so visit: www.robynswanderings.com for updates and until next week, Ciao!