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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Promised Relief
Cheap Charlie · May 1, 2000

Three major airlines are doing more than passing out simple customer-service lip service.

After a year of seeing the airlines get away with promises that turned out to be little more than normal operating procedures, American Airlines is promising more room for coach passengers, and Northwest Airlines is taking a stab at eliminating the Saturday night stayover rule for business travelers.

US Airways promises movement on the lost luggage front.

Amazingly, American has committed itself to increasing the space between seats in coach. Newspaper reports indicate that American will actually remove two to three rows of seats to increase the "seat pitch" three to four inches. This means the distance between seats will increase about that amount.

For years passengers have been complaining that they feel like sardines in the back of a plane. No one can think about crossing their legs, and when the person in front of you reclines, there is hardly room to get to your meager food.

The press releases are filled with the number of inches pitch will increase, but what we really need to see are a few of these reconfigured planes. When that happens, I'll really get excited.

The president of American was quoted as saying that he wished he had added room for passengers in coach class earlier. So do I.

On the business traveler front, Northwest has introduced a BixFlex fare that allows business travelers to make their trips at a discount and not have to deal with the Saturday night stayover rule. These tickets will cost significantly less than regular coach fares and more than advanced purchase fares. This is a step in the right direction.

US Airways announced it has taken the first step in helping passengers with lost or delayed luggage. Once upon a time, airlines passed out shaving kits and small toothbrushes for distressed passengers. That practice has virtually disappeared.

US Airways says it will now give passengers with delayed bags $50 on the spot and then will pay these passengers $25 a day with a total limit of $150. These payments are to allow passengers to replace or purchase fresh underwear, toiletries, and necessities delayed with the luggage.

If you find yourself in a delayed luggage situation, make sure to ask for your $50 payment. I'm sure the airline will not be posting this new service in the lost luggage office, nor will they be spending a lot of time letting passengers know about this policy.

If your luggage is actually lost and not simply delayed, make sure to ask about the airline liability limitations. Once upon a time all airlines stuck to the $1,250 legislated liability limit. But today, some airlines, including American, will pay up to $2,500 for lost luggage and its contents.

Once again, ask. Know what you are entitled to according airline policy.

Charlie Leocha is the Boston-based author of Travel Rights: Know the Rules of the Road and the Air Before You Go. Cheap Charlie appears every Monday on this site. E-mail him at charlie@ticked.com or access his Web site.