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Boston, Florida). Active duty personnel have priority over retired
personnel, and space is allocated in order of signup. Few flights,
however, are scheduled more than 24 hours in advance, and you may need
to go to your destination by a very roundabout route, since not every
base has a lot of space-available flights. The cost is free from most
bases, but some tack on a $10 or $20 charge for admin purposes. For
long flights, they will sell you a box-lunch for $2.40. The planes may
not be as comfortable as commercial flights. There are numerous books
on space-available flights that military people can pick up at their
PX/BX.   They should also contact the PAX representative at their
nearest base for more specific information.
   
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Subject: [1-10] Senior Citizen Fares

Certain airlines provide reduced fares for passengers 65 (sometimes
62) years of age and older. Passengers must carry proof of age
(passport, birth certificate, driver's license or medicare card). The
typical discount is 10 percent, though some discounts may be as high
as 75%. Some programs provided a booklet of discount coupons, or sell
several tickets at a sharply discounted rate.  Seats are usually
limited, and off-peak travel may be required. The fares are sometimes
refundable and sometimes do not require advance purchase.  In some cases,
membership in the AARP will qualify you for the reduced fares. (The
AARP's 10 percent discount deal with American Airlines ended in 1992
when the fare war broke out.) Call 1-202-872-4700 for information
about joining AARP. Airlines with special fares include:
American, America West, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest
Airlines, TWA, United, and USAir. 

Delta sells books of coupons for travel by retired senior citizens
(age 62 or higher).  The cost is $596 for a book of four coupons,
$1,032 for eight coupons.  Each coupon is good for a one-way flight in
the continental United States, with two coupons required for travel to
Alaska or Hawaii. The number of seats are limited, and reservations
must be made two weeks in advance of departure.

If buying a booklet of coupons, compare the prices against the
discounted excursion fares. Sometimes you can do better than the coupons.

Be sure to ask if there are any special fares for senior citizens, if
you qualify.  Many travel agents are reluctant to ask a customer if
they are a senior citizen, because they are afraid the customer might
be offended.

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Subject: [1-11] Student/Youth Fares

Some airlines give discounted fares to full-time students of an
accredited school, college or university who are at least 12 years of
age. Student ID card must be carried and displayed at the request of
the carrier. Some restrict the age of the student to under some age
(e.g., 22, 24, 26 years of age). Stopovers are not permitted, and some
require reservations at least 7 days before departure.

The status of such discounts varies considerably. For example, the
USAir student discount was cancelled on May 30, 1992, as a consequence
of the American fare restructuring. As of June 1993, the program was
reinstated on a limited scale, primarily on short-haul east-coast
flights, with an age limit of 24. On June 1, 1994, they cancelled the
program, and replaced it with a more restrictive youth fare. The
details of this program are as follows:

   +  Maximum age 22.
   +  Reservations must be made 7 days in advance.
   +  Saturday night stay required.
   +  Round trips only, must be a non-stop flight.
   +  Not offered in all markets, and the amount of the discount
      varies. The best discount seems to be 30% off.
   +  The discount seems to not be combinable with supersaver fares.
   +  You must show proof of age when making a reservation.
   +  The discount is limited to US domestic travel.

Students may purchase discount books of 10 tickets on the Trump (now
USAir) shuttle for $499. Delta has a similar program for their shuttle.
Age restrictions can be as low as 18-22 on these tickets (Continental
18-22, USAir 18-24 some routes, 18-22 others, Delta is 18-24). Times are
restricted from 10am to 2:30 pm and after 7 pm. 

TWA has established a student discount program. Membership costs $15
for one year, $25 for two years, and gets you 10% off most TWA
round-trip fares.  You must be a full-time student, aged 16-26. The
fares must include a Saturday night stay-over and 14-day advance
purchase.

TWA has also offered a "Youth Travel Pak" which provides coupons for
four one-way trips in the continental US for $548 (coupons may be
doubled for travel to Hawaii). The Pak is restricted to students aged
14-24. This can be a good deal if you're traveling cross-country.

A variety of discounts are available if you have an International
Student Identity Card (or International Teacher Identity Card).
Besides offering proof of student status, the ID provides discounts on
museums and events, air fare, 24-hour traveler's assistance, and
health insurance. Ask your travel agent for details on how to get such
a card and what discounts are available.  All Council Travel travel
agencies sell the International Student ID Cards. They are rather
cheap -- $17 for students aged 12 to 25 -- and well worth the price.
However, some people have found that their regular university ID or
American Youth Hostel Card works just as well for most of the
discounts.  For an application and a free magazine, call the Council
on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) at 800-438-2643.

Youth fares: Passenger must be between 12 and 22 (25 for international
travel) years of age. Seats may be limited. Tickets must be purchased
from the point of origin. Some require picture identification such as
Youth Fare identification Card, birth certificate, government ID card
or drivers license. Southwest gives the offpeak rate for *all* flights
for youth (21 & under), although this is still more expensive than
their supersaver fares.

In short, when purchasing tickets ask if there is any youth/student discount.

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Subject: [1-12] Family Fares

Some carriers offer discounts on family travel. For the purposes of
the discounts, a family is defined as a husband and wife with or
without accompanying children age 2-17, or one parent with one or more
accompanying children age 2-17. Age restrictions on children differ
from airline to airline (some set the maximum age at 20 or 21 years;
and some break children into two classes, 12 & under and 12-21). Some
include legal guardian and grandparents within the definition of
parent. It is usually not necessary for the family to travel under a
common surname. Proof of family relationship must be established to
the satisfaction of the carrier and all family members must travel
together for the entire trip. Fares are typically 100% for first
family member, 50% each additional. Some have further discounts.

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Subject: [1-13] Conference Fares

If you're flying to a meeting or conference, airlines will often offer
a conference discount. This must be arranged ahead of time by the
conference organizers and only holds for one particular airline. This
airline is designated as the "official" airline of the conference, and
is advertised in the registration brochure. Discounts are generally
40% off of full coach or 5% off of the best supersaver fare, with
travel within 3 days of the meeting. The conference organizers receive
one free round trip ticket for every 20 conference attendees who use
the airline.

See also "Moving Up the Return Flight" [1-19].

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Subject: [1-14] Sympathy Fares, Emergency Fares
   
If you have to go to a funeral, most airlines will give you 50% off of
the discounted rate, at very short notice. They call this the sympathy
fare. Similarly for a medical emergency (e.g., a close relative is in
intensive care, or is likely to die). For example, Continental will
waive advance purchase requirements for cheap fares for an emergency.
This is their bereavement rate for people who have to attend funerals.
Other airlines that do this are United and USAir ("compassionate
fare"). American gives 50% off of the non-discounted rate, and will
ask you for the name, address and phone number of the funeral home.
(Some airlines will require a copy of the death certificate or an
obituary instead.) This is a tradition carried over from the "funeral
fare" of the railroad days. Airlines do this because it is simply good
PR, and doesn't cost them all that much. Some airlines will only allow
immediate relatives to get a sympathy fare.

[As of 4/30/93, American and United offered 17% discount on
unrestricted coach, USAir 50%.]

In any case you have to ask and sometimes be persistent as these are
nonstandard and not widely publicized policies. Many low level airline
workers are not aware of them or do not have the authority to allow them.

United "Rule 120" describes the rules governing sympathy fares.

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Subject: [1-15] Refunds

In the same vein, many airlines will refund a ticket, even a
nonrefundable one, for good cause. Medical emergencies, jury duty, and
a death in the family generally qualify as a good cause for not using
a ticket.  Some sort of proof must be provided (death certiicate, note
from doctor), and it is completely up to the airline as to whether or
not the particular instance warrants a refund. But it doesn't hurt to
ask, even multiple times. Some airlines may issue a new ticket or
provide a flight credit voucher instead of offering a refund.

If you don't have any luck in getting a refund when talking with the airline
ticket agent or their supervisor, try asking your travel agent for
help. Sometimes they can succeed where you can't. You can also try
talking to someone at the airline's downtown ticket office in person,
and writing to their national office. It never hurts to ask, even
multiple times. If you're making no headway at the airline's downtown
office, try turning on the tears. This is especially effective if the
person who is preventing you from getting a refund is of the opposite
sex. Nothing makes a person try harder to help than seeing someone
start crying because of them. 

A useful trick for normal circumstances: When they ask for your name
for printing on the ticket, use your first initial instead of your
full first name. (Many airlines now require your full first name, even
if you purchase the ticket through a travel agent.) Thus if you can't
use your "non-transferrable non-refundable" ticket, your spouse or
some other member of your family might be able to.

[Airlines do not allow name changes on reservations and tickets, to
prevent travel agents from buying up cheap fares with dummy names in
anticipation of selling them to real people later. For this reason, it
is important when traveling overseas to make sure you give your name
to the travel agent exactly as it is listed on your passport. The name
on your tickets must match the name on your passport, and once the
reservations are made and the tickets issued, there's nothing you can
do to correct the name. The travel agent will have to cancel the
reservations and rebook the full itinerary using the correct name,
assuming the seats are still available at that fare. If the tickets were
non-refundable, there's nothing you can do.]

Another trick is to have your travel agent talk to the airline,
assuming you used him to purchase the ticket. Sometimes they will be
able to swing a deal.

Nontransferable tickets may still be useable by other people in your
organization, if the address listed on the ticket was your business
address, or if your organization's name appears on the ticket.

If the passenger named on the ticket died before the flight, most
airlines will allow a name change, and many will even refund a
nonrefundable ticket.

Unused nonrefundable tickets can often be applied as a credit toward
another nonrefundable ticket of equal or higher value on the same
airline, less a small reticketing fee of $35 to $50. You'll also have
to pay any difference in the fares, and you can do this for up to one
year after the date of purchase. (Note that if the new ticket costs
less than the old ticket, you probably won't be credited with the
difference.)  So if you bought a non-refundable ticket and decided to
not use it, don't throw it away. If you only used part of the ticket
(e.g., the originating flight but not the return), you probably can't
do this; these policies are for completely unused tickets.

If you lose your tickets, most airlines will require you to buy new
tickets, and then issue a refund after 30 days, less a fee of $30 to
$50. Thus 'losing' your tickets is not an effective means of getting a
refund for non-refundable tickets.

Full fare tickets (e.g., unrestricted coach, business class, or first
class), of course, usually allow changes without charge.

Normally a reservation will cancel out automatically if you don't
purchase a ticket within 24 hours. However, if you ask the airline to
invoice you, usually this timeout is extended to 10 days to allow
enough time for the invoice to reach you. You can still pay the
invoice using a credit card. If you don't pay the invoice, the
reservation cancels out at the end of the 10 day period. I was once
able to get the 10 day period extended, but that was because the
airline had transposed digits in my zip code, causing the invoice to
arrive after the 10 day period had expired.

Being hostile to airline personnel is the one sure way to prevent you
from getting a refund or change. Be nice to them -- it doesn't hurt
you, and probably will help you get what you want.

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Subject: [1-16] Flying Standby

Flying standby used to be one of the cheapest ways to travel. The idea
was that an empty seat doesn't earn the airline any money. So some
airlines would sell special fare "standby tickets".  Using such a
ticket you were NOT guarranteed a seat on a particular flight, but on
the next flight with empty seats. You'd be enplaned on a flight
subject to the availability of space at departure time.  This was only
after all passengers with reservations for the flight have been
boarded.  Passengers from a previous flight who were bumped also had
priority. No stopovers were permitted on standby fares.

Since advance reservations were not accepted, you had to get to the
gate early to put yourself down on the standby list.  If it was a busy
day and the flights are full, you would have to wait several hours to
get a seat, or maybe not get a seat at all.  A standby ticket didn't
guarrantee you a seat, but if you did not absolutely, positively have
to be there tomorrow, you could get some good deals.

But the days when students could hang out at the airport and fly
standby for dirt cheap prices are long gone. The term "standby" is
still used, but doesn't mean what it used to:

   1. Most airlines no longer sell standby tickets at a special
      fare, but will sell you a standby ticket at regular fare. In
      other words, if they have space on the flight, the gate agent or
      ticket agent will sell you a ticket for the flight on the spot.
      All this means is you can buy a full fare ticket on the spur of
      the moment.

   2. Nonrefundable, nonchangeable tickets can often be used for
      standby travel on the same or similar route (sometimes with a
      slight surcharge). This most often comes up if you missed your
      flight (e.g., you arrive at the gate after the plane has left,
      and catch another flight to the same destination later that day), 
      but you may be able to use unused flight coupons in 
      this manner. For example, if you bought a ticket but didn't go
      for some reason (a reason that didn't entitle you to a refund), the
      ticket may still be usable for standby travel on the same airline.
      (Your best bet with such a ticket, however, is to have your
      travel agent or airline credit it towards your next ticket.
      You'll probably have to pay a fee, but it's better than throwing
      away the ticket.) All this is often at the whim of the gate
      agent, and is based on the notion that a ticket is often
      designated as being good for travel on the airline for one year
      from the date of issue. Your luck will vary by airline and gate agent.

   3. If you're on a later flight but get to the airport early,
      check with the attendant at the gate. You may be able to get on the
      earlier flight is there's space available (but this may result in your
      getting no "snack" or losing your special meal). This works even
      for "non-changeable" tickets. 

Airlines stopped the practice of selling standby tickets for a variety
of reasons:

   1. Even if a seat isn't taken, putting somebody in the seat still
      costs the airline some money (e.g., fuel). 

   2. Standby travel played havoc with airline load management programs.
      Airlines were sometimes faced with having to unload fuel to
      change the weight distribution of the aircraft because of a
      sudden appearance of several standby passengers.

   3. Some people would "ensure" the availability of standby seats by
      making a large number of regular reservations, and then an hour
      before the flight release the block of seats, virtually ensuring
      that standby passengers will get aboard at cheap standby fares.
      This caused airlines to overbook flights, and eliminated their
      ability to schedule their flights accurately. Since the
      elimination of standby tickets, overbooking errors have dropped
      significantly. (Another result of this practice is the automatic
      cancellation of unpaid reservations after 24 hours.)

   4. Airlines felt that they were losing regular business to standby travel.

Flying standby, however, may be making a comeback. In 1993, some
airlines had special one-day fares for folks traveling on Christmas
and New Years. These holidays are the nadir of the travel season, so
by offering these fares, the airlines were able to increase their
business on flights they had to fly anyway. (Yes, airlines still have
to fly the routes, even with empty planes, because scheduling is so
complex. For example, the plane in Atlanta might need to fly to Boston
so that it can be used on the Boston-Washington route later in the
next day.)  Now these holiday fares weren't true standby fares, but
the concept was similar. Since most flights these days fly at 85-95%
of capacity, one of these days an airline is going to get the bright
idea of reinstating standby fares in one variation or another. For
example, some airlines now sell discount flight coupon booklets to
senior citizens; the coupons may be used for standby travel. And of
course, US Air Force personnel can fly standby on some US Air Force
planes on a space available basis for dirt cheap prices, but with no
amenities (and maybe no real seat either, but strapped to webbing on
the wall).

Some foreign airlines still provide standby fares, sometimes limited
to youth.

If you are flying standby one way or another, here's some advice:

   -  Make sure you get to the gate EARLY. If several people are
      flying standby, you want to make sure that your name is first on
      the list.  Note that connecting passengers, bumped passengers,
      etc., get priority over local boarding standbys. 

   -  Days which are bad for getting bumped are usually good days for 
      standby seats. Don't fly standby on the day before Thanksgiving
      or the Sunday after, you won't get a seat. On Thanksgiving day
      itself, you're likely to find a seat.

   -  On really busy days it might pay to show up early for the
      *first* flight of the day, since standbys who don't make it can
      "roll over" to the next flight. 

Some airlines will only allow "same day" standby travel (i.e., you
overslept and missed your flight, and will take a flight on the same
route later that day). Others will not allow you to fly standby on a
flight if all the seats in your fare class have sold out, even if
there are empty seats available. If the agent at the check-in counter
gives you trouble, go directly to the gate and see what happens. 
[Agents at the check-in counter are under more pressure to enforce the
rules than gate agents, who have some discretionary power. If you can
avoid dealing with the agents at the check-in counter, (e.g., no
checked baggage), so much the better.] If you want to try flying
standby on one airline using another airline's ticket, bypass the
check-in agent and go directly to the gate.

Most airline employees (and their spouses and dependents) can fly
standby on that airline for cheap or free (as "representatives" of the
airline). Crew who must reach their destination for work purposes have
priority over all non-revenue passengers. Active employees have
priority over retired employees and dependents of an employee. There
is a pretty strict dress code -- suit and ties for men, and similar
requirements for women -- so you can't fly wearing a jogging suit.

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Subject: [1-17] Getting Bumped

[Note: Most of the comments in this section apply to US domestic flights
only.  US Department of Transportation rules apply only to flights
between points in the US. Airlines do not need to give any
compensation for international flights, so what, if anything, you get
for an involuntary bump is entirely up to the airline.]

Airlines tend to overbook their flights in case of no-shows. (Airlines
also ignore the overbook limit when a customer is buing a full-fare
ticket, because the cost of bribing volunteers with a bump ticket is
usually less than the additional income derived from a full-fare
ticket.)  Occasionally this will mean that more people show up with
confirmed reservations than there are seats on the plane. (Or if the
flight is a particularly full one, it may exceed the weight limit even
with empty seats.) The airline will ask if there's anyone willing to
be bumped from the flight in exchange for compensation (e.g., USAir
will give you a free round-trip ticket anywhere in North America). The
airline will then put you on the next available flight to your
destination, along with your free ticket. 

Vouchers are typically valid for only a year from date of issue. But
if you ask *before you get the ticket*, you can sometimes get it
extended for a month or two beyond the year limitation. (Some folks
have reported success in getting vouchers extended a month or so
before expiration.) If your voucher is expiring you can also try using
it to get a ticket with a particular origin and destination
but no specific departure and return dates. Such tickets should be
good for 12 months. Many bump vouchers, however, prohibit exchanging them
for such "open" tickets. An alternative is to use the voucher to book
a flight to your favorite destination for some likely dates. If the
dates don't work out, you can usually rebook the tickets for different
dates for a small fee. 

So another way to reduce the cost of flying is to volunteer to be
bumped. You can maximize your chances of being bumped by purchasing a
confirmed reservation on flights that are most likely to be full. A
good time is 7-10 am or 4-7 pm on a weekday (especially Monday morning
and Friday afternoon). These are the times most businessmen fly
(trying to make early morning meetings or to get home for dinner in
the evening), and hence when the airline is most likely to be
overbooked. Airlines are also likely to be overbooked on Sunday nights
(early evening) and the beginning and end of holidays, since that is
when non-businessmen typically fly. For example, right before
Thanksgiving and the Sunday or Monday after are prime bumping times.
The same is true of typical spring break destinations toward the end
of March and beginning of April. Receiving a free roundtrip ticket
effectively cuts your air travel costs in half.  And if you get bumped
while using a previous free bump ticket, it gets even cheaper.

Even on the best days for being bumped, the likelihood is still rather
low. Airline yield software has been getting better and better, so it
is uncommon for bumping to occur.  The DOT figures cited in [4-4]
show that American had an involuntary bump rate of 1 in 200,000 in 1993.
(These figures do NOT include voluntary bumps, which are more likely.
The DOT does not collect statistics on voluntary bumping. Note also
that American had the lowest involuntarily bump rate. The likelihood
of your being bumped voluntarily on an average carrier is probably
close to 1 in 10,000.)

If you want to be bumped and notice that the flight looks full, get to
the gate as early as possible (e.g., 1-2 hours before departure) and ask
the gate agent whether they are overbooked. If they are, they will
need volunteers. Ask them to put your name on the bump list (aka "bump
queue"). Bump tickets are offered on a first come/first served basis,
so you want to get your name near the top of the list. This will give
you priority if there are only a few bumps.  Note, however, that by
pre-volunteering, you're only likely to get a free ticket in addition
to rebooking on a flight later that day. If nobody volunteers and you
wait until they ask for volunteers, you can sometimes up the ante,
depending on how desperate they get. (Some airlines give all
volunteers the same thing, no matter when they volunteered. Others
will process you as soon as you volunteer, so the later you volunteer,
the better the incentive.) In general, you should put your name on the
bump list, and don't wait until the airline calls for volunteers.
Enough people volunteer ahead of time these days that if you don't put
your name on the list, you won't have the opportunity to be bumped
(except on very rare occasions, when not enough people volunteer).

When you get your bump ticket and are being rebooked on a later
flight, if the delay is a few hours, ask the gate agent if they can
give you a meal voucher. This voucher, which is worth $5-$10, can be
used at airport restaurants to get something to eat. Not every airline
and not every gate agent will give you one, and they certainly won't
give you one if you don't ask for it, but sometimes they will. If you
have any other special requirements (e.g., you want extra frequent
flyer credits, you want the free ticket to be good for an extra month,
etc.) it doesn't hurt to ask.

If you have a confirmed reservation, and you notice the flight is
overbooked but first class is underbooked and you don't necessarily
want to be bumped, try being the last person on line. If you are lucky
the coach and business class will be full, and they will have to
upgrade you to first class at no charge.  (Also, having a pre-issued
boarding pass will decrease your chances of an involuntary bump.) This
is risky, though, because you might wind up being bumped anyway, so
only do it if you don't care whether you'll be bumped.

It always pays to volunteer to be bumped, even if the flight isn't
overbooked. If the airline needs adjacent seating for a family, they
will sometimes bump you into first class if you are in a row by
yourself.

When you arrive at the airport, check the flight schedules to see
which flights (on the airline and its competitors) will be departing
for your destination, and when. Airlines are extremely reluctant to
book a volunteer on another carrier, so if you get bumped on the last
flight to your destination, you may have to stay overnight at a hotel.

Good days to get bumped include: Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Sunday
after; couple days before and after Christmas weekend; ditto with New Years.
Friday afternoons, evenings, and Sunday afternoons and evenings also
bump a lot.

Another trick is to ask your travel agent which flights are full or
nearly full and to purchase tickets for one of those flights. (Not
every travel agent will let you do this.) Note, however, that you
probably won't be able to get the discount rate for such a flight,
since all the seats in the discount coach fare class have probably
been sold. Also, if a flight has reached the overbook limit, you won't
be able to buy any ticket for the flight, except perhaps a full fare
ticket.

If the airline still has plenty of coach seats a day or so before the
flight, it is unlikely that they will bump.

   Here's what some airlines usually give volunteers:
      Delta, USAir:  Open roundtrip
        (Delta requires reservations three days before flight time on
        bump tickets.)

      United: Travel voucher in increments of $100 based on how long you have
      to wait for your next flight (e.g., 2 hour wait is $200), up to
      a maximum of $300. You can also ask for a food voucher.

      Continental: US domestic roundtrip ticket. Sometimes offers a
      dollar amount in credit to be used towards any Continental
      flight (e.g., $300).

      American, America West, Southwest, Northwest:  $$ off another
      ticket (usually $150 to $300; Northwest generally around $300;
      American has been known to go as high as $1000.)
      Dollar-denominated vouchers are not subject to tax, so they
      stretch further. Amounts depend on the degree of overbooking of
      the flight. United sometimes will also issue a
      dollar-denominated voucher. 

      United bumps more than average, Delta less. 

      Air Canada offers $150 cash or $300 in travel vouchers.

If you are bumped and the next flight out is the next day, the airline
may offer you overnight accomodation in addition, especially if you
are bumped while away from home.

Most bump tickets (vouchers) are non-transferable, so you must use
them yourself. If the voucher must be exchanged for a ticket,
you may be able to have the ticket issued in someone else's name,
given a reasonable excuse (e.g., your girlfriend/boyfriend).

If you are bumped (voluntarily or involuntarily) and have checked
baggage, the airline will not remove your bags from the plane. The bags
will continue on to your destination and wait there until you arrive.
So if you're planning to be bumped, bring enough clean clothes in your
carry-on to last you a day or two just in case your bags are lost or
stolen by the time you arrive, or you get stuck at a connection.

If you get bumped or your flight is canceled and need to stay at a
hotel overnight, hotels near the airport will often give you
a substantial discount if you ask for it (50% discount is not unheard
of). Ask for the "Distressed Passenger Rate". Airlines also have
overnight kits they can give you. 

A flight being cancelled is *not* the same as being bumped. Bumping
occurs only when the carrier has more passengers with confirmed
tickets on the flight than seats. You can get compensation if you are
bumped, but not if the flight is cancelled.

If airline delays cause you extra expense, the airlines may be willing
to help you out. For example, if the airline delay caused you to miss
the cheap bus shuttle service to downtown, the airline may be willing
to pay the difference between cab fare and shuttle fare. But in
general, there aren't any policies for compensation (e.g., meals, hotel,
etc.) that must be given to bumped and delayed passengers. Some
airlines are very nice and will give you food coupons if you ask, some
won't. 

Under Department of Transportation rules, an involuntarily bumped
traveler who is delayed more than one hour but less than two on a
US domestic flight is entitled to $200 or 100 percent of the one-way
fare, whichever is less (the airline must also honor the original
ticket).  For delays longer than two hours, the compensation doubles.

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