Is there a website that lists the rights one has while flying?

Question

Several people have had their civil rights violated recently with the whole terrorism scare. This includes a man who was forced to change his t-shirt because it had Arabic text on it, and a man who dropped his iPod down a toilet and was treated like he was involved in a bomb plot. I don't look foreign, so I don't think I'll be detained for that ridiculous racist profiling stuff, but I am getting paranoid about having my rights taken away from me and being treated like a terrorist for no reason. I would like to know what rights I do have while flying, and what the airline people can and cannot ask me to do.

Answer 1

A passengers rights, as well as the airlines, are spelled out in the CONTRACT OF CARRIAGE, which is the binding contract both parties enter into when a ticket is purchased. (Most passengers are totally unaware of this "contract" nor do they bother to read the back of their ticket explaining it.)

Every airline has their C.O.C in it's entirety on their website or will provide you a copy if requested.

Generally speaking, most "passenger rights" can be summed up at these websites:

Fly-Rights: A Consumer Guide to Air Travel
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/flyrights.htm

http://www.independenttraveler.com/resources/article.cfm?AID=91&category=12

Answer 2

Try the Bill of Rights.

Most of our legal precedents involving privacy are based on that. Short of a detailed knowledge of the legal history of aviation though, I do not believe there is any one particular source of information that will provide "everything" you want to know.

Please be aware though that travel on airlines is not a "right." It is a service that you as a passenger are buying and paying for. As such many the traditional rights of privacy are waived in the interest of safety. You volunteer to give up some of these rights (such as warrantless searches of your luggage and restriction on the language you can use) when you walk through the door to the airport. These have been taken away in the interest of the safety of the population as a whole.

In all honety, you have very few "rights" as a passenger travelling on an airplane, as the safety of the masses must trump the individual offenses that might be perpetrated against you. Looking a little more closely as people of arabic descent might be an ineffective way of profiling terrorists, but it is in no way illegal as every person who enters an airport is subject to the same safety restriction as everyone else.

Answer 3

You have the right to sit down, shut your mouth, do as you're told and enjoy the ride. Anything else may get you handcuffed and arrested when the airplane arrives at its destination.

Airline passengers and crews are getting justifiably paranoid about people creating disturbances on board active airline flights. If you do as you're told, you probably won't have any problems, but don't try to stand up and demand "your rights" while the airplane is in flight, or you may not like what happens to you, either on the airplane, or in court afterwards.

Answer 4

Well, travel is provided by a private company, so "rights" don't really apply...kind of how a private restaurant can refuse to seat whoever they want. Basically, I give the TSA as much trouble as I feel like it, but don't bother the airlines much.

That being said, in the US, we have the Bill of Rights, but unfortunately people would rather be safe than have the Bill of Rights enforced. Most unfortunate.

Answer 5

You must remember that any rights you have will be enshrined within the law of the country of registration of the aircraft within which you are flying, so it is impossible to provide a brief definitive answer to this question.

A possible exception to this may be when an aircraft operator leases an aircraft which is not registered in the country of the operator - in this case you could expect the law of the land where the operator is based to apply.

Answer 6

You have the right to sit down, shut up and and enjoy the flight or get off my plane.

The federal regulations say in part 91:
§ 91.3 Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command.
top

(a) The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.

enough said!!

Answer 7

You don't have any rights because terrorists don't read the rule book. Prepare yourself for the worst and, be nice.

Answer 8

i would rather have my rights violated so i could live safely. but i would much rather own my own plane so i dont have to deal with all the security crap.