Rule 240 is an important term for airline travelers to familiarize themselves with. It defines what rights a passenger has when delays and cancellations occur. And these days it seems delays are inevitable. Prior to deregulation, Rule 240 was a federal requirement, nowadays airlines keep it as a good business practice. However, it’s up to the passenger to know what he or she is entitled to, since the frazzled airline agent might not be forthcoming with help unless you mention the magic words. Each airline has their own version, but in general you may be entitled to rebooking (on another airline if necessary), meals, hotel rooms, and phone calls if your flight delays were the fault of the airline. Unfortunately, weather and strikes do not qualify. But most of the recent delays I’ve encountered have been classified as “mechanical problems” which were actually the result of mechanics “slow downs”, so those would probably qualify. OneTravel.com has even more airline specific details in their Rules of the Air section.