One couple leveraged Rule 240 to land a better seat on an earlier flight when their airline canceled a connecting flight. At first, the reservationist balked at getting them on the early flight because the only open seats were in first class. Confronted with Rule 240, the carrier caved. Its rule clearly indicated that if there is an available flight that will arrive earlier than the alternate offered, the passengers have the right to be confirmed on the early flight for free, even if first class is all that's open. The airline-owned Airline Tariff Publishing Co. sells a thick volume of every carrier's rules, including 240.
Travel agents have access to the rules in their reservations system.
The DOT also mandates that a copy of the contract be available to passengers at each ticket counter. But compliance is less than perfect. Keep the Pressure On Even if you manage to get your hands on a contract, making sense of the gobbledygook legalese will remain a challenge. So it's up to us to understand the rules and apply polite but persistent pressure. Don't forget the chain of command.