Stranded at the airport? Don't forget Rule 240 | Hacker News Reader

Stranded at the airport? Don't forget Rule 240

msnbc.msn.com

29 pointshhm8 comments

Actually, as it turns out, the Rule 240 has been phased out over the years, as the carriers are no longer required by regulation to maintain one.

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/rule-240-fading-f...

And, ultimately, you should look in the detailed "contract of carriage" on the airline website (or on the back of your paper ticket, if you have one) to see what the airline's obligations truly are.

Also, "weather" can happen anywhere in the country and still affect your flight, even it's not where you're traveling. If your flight requires an aircraft that is arriving from another city where there is a weather problem, or even if there was a weather problem earlier in your city and now the backlog of flights is greater than the number of arrivals and departures that an airport can handle, the delays can stack up over multiple cities. The airlines can't afford to keep equipment (and crew!) buffers at each airport to absorb these delays.

Did you read the whole post? The first part of what you said almost mimics what the author said.

I will admit I did not read the whole post. I've seen so many of these "reporters" do their little bits about Rule 240 that they all sort of blend together for me.'

Also, everyone should read http://dir.salon.com/topics/ask_the_pilot/

Before anyone downmods hhm for a 'non-relevant' post, consider this: you're flying into Mountain View (San Jose or SF) for the YCombinator interview the day of. Say your flight gets delayed because of the 'weather' but another airline is flying on schedule to the Bay Area.. you will remember Rule 240 and thank HHM. :)

Too bad I couldn't use Rule 240 to argue my way into a free flight on my way back from Novembers YC interviews.. I can picture the airline agent look all smug and say "but sir, your flight was yesterday". Oops!

Point is: Airline employees have some freedom to do some things to help you that you might not have thought of. Ask nice and you never know what you might get. I've been "240'ed" twice now without ever knowing this "rule", just by asking nicely.

I had heard this before. I know a guy who commented jokingly to some of the employees that it would be nice to sit on a first class seat (he was with another person), at some time before entering the plane. When the time come to enter the plane, he and the other guy were sent directly to first class service, no further questions, nothing at all, by this employee.

Yep, I invoke rule '420' when stuck at an airport

240 is easy to remember, just swap the two first digits of 420

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