Delta carrier fined for bumping

Delta Air Lines's Comair commuter carrier was fined $275,000 for violating federal rules on bumping passengers from oversold flights, the U.S. Transportation Department said.

Comair in "numerous cases" failed to seek volunteers to give up their seats or provide passengers with appropriate payments for being bumped, the Transportation Department said today in a statement.

"Our bumping rules are designed to protect passengers when airlines overbook a flight," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We expect carriers to comply with these rules and will take enforcement action when they do not."

DOT said its Aviation Enforcement Office also found "that Comair had filed inaccurate reports with DOT on the number of passengers involuntarily denied boarding."

This past June, the department proposed raising the maximum denied boarding compensation to $1,300 and tying future increases to inflation.

-- Staff and wire reports