The U.S. Department of Transportation is increasing pressure on airlines to handle passengers’ luggage more carefully.
The Hill reported that the DOT will raise airlines’ liability for lost or damaged baggage from $3,400 to $3,500. The rule change also increases the fines airlines face when they deny boarding to passengers because of overbooking. These higher penalties are scheduled to take effect later this year.
In the most recent DOT report on mishandled baggage, 181,516 passengers filed claims in March 2015, an average of 3.42 claims per 1,000 passengers. During the first quarter of 2015, 12,736 passengers filed claims for being involuntarily denied boarding.