Commentary: A traveler's rights when things go wrong

Question: We had airline tickets from Baltimore to Florida recently for our family vacation. We had a non-refundable hotel room and a non-refundable car rental that were purchased through the Internet.

Our flight was canceled due to the blackout in the Northeast. What right, if any, do we have under these circumstances?

Answer: Your plane ticket was probably non-refundable and subject to a $100 re-issue fee. Most of the air carriers affected by the blackout waived those penalties and made every effort to accommodate passengers as expeditiously as possible once flights were restored.

However, even if you are able to rebook the air at no additional fee, I am presuming you also lost at least one night of the non- refundable hotel room and at least one day of the car rental due to the inability to arrive at your destination.

Generally, fees for hotels and car rentals purchased through the Internet are paid in advance and are non-refundable. Thus, you would not be able to recover the cost of the lost hotel night(s) or the lost rental car day(s) because the travel provider would likely state it was not any fault of their own that you could not arrive on time.

Each Internet travel provider has different policies as to how these types of circumstances are handled. While more and more consumers are booking travel through the Internet, it is important to be aware of the terms and conditions of any travel booking when it is made.

One thing that every traveler must consider when booking a hotel reservation through the Internet is whether the price obtained is significantly less than that available directly with the hotel, which generally would be on refundable basis, if canceled within a certain timeframe before check-in. In essence, the consumer must weight the cost of savings to the restrictions imposed by the Internet travel provider.

If your family vacation involved a more detailed itinerary, you could have considered travel insurance which would provide coverage for trip interruption, i.e., the canceled flight due to the blackout. Generally, most travelers do not take this type of insurance if the only travel arrangements involve airline flights, a car rental, and/ or hotel in the United States.

Jeffrey R. Miller is a lawyer based in Ellicott City. His practice involves the travel, tourism, transportation and hospitality industries. He can be reached at 410-418-9200 or www.jmillerlaw.com. The opinions expressed are his own.

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