Sometimes, those airline vouchers are like a lump of coal

HOME for the holidays? If the past is any guide, some fliers won’t make it because blizzards or other emergencies grounded their jet-fueled sleighs or because overbooking bumped them from their flights.

Many of these strandees will garner goodies for their troubles: airline vouchers for free seats, hotels, meals and more.

Tidings of joy.

But you’d better watch out for the fine print. Otherwise you’d better not pout if you don’t get what you want.

“I’m not saying vouchers are bad,” said Terry Trippler, a Minneapolis-based airline expert with www.cheapseats.com. “But they’re not gold.”

That’s because vouchers nearly always carry restrictions.

You may have to redeem flight coupons in person or by phone, incurring a fee. Or they may be good only for certain fares or categories of seats. They may expire after a year. A hotel may refuse to accept a voucher or, especially during weather delays, run out of rooms.

“Vouchers often aren’t worth what they seem at first glance,” said Edward Hasbrouck, the author of “The Practical Nomad” books who works with Airtreks .com, a San Francisco-based travel agency.

You may be better off bargaining for cash, experts say -- if you can get it.

And bargain you will, under a curiously unregulated free-for-all bidding that airlines employ to entice you to relinquish your seat on overbooked flights. Negotiating for a hotel or meal voucher if your flight is delayed by weather or other causes -- not a given -- is equally unregulated.

“There are no ground rules,” Trippler said.

Except for one situation: getting bumped against your will from an overbooked flight.

Depending on how long you’re delayed, the airline, under federal rules, may owe you up to $400 if you’re denied boarding on an oversold domestic flight or certain international flights, plus it must let you use your ticket on another flight or get a refund. (For details and exceptions -- as with all regulations, there are many -- go to airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/pubs.htm, and under “Other Publications” click on “Fly Rights.”)

The U.S. Department of Transportation also requires that before bumping anyone involuntarily, a carrier must try to get volunteers to give up their seats. But the DOT doesn’t say what type of compensation must be offered.

These days, it’s likely to be a flight coupon.

“They’re going to offer a voucher first because they don’t want to give you a check,” Trippler said.

He and Hasbrouck agreed that it’s usually better to go for the cash than the ticket voucher because at least you have something in hand. Don’t expect to get more than $400 on a domestic flight, though, because that’s the most the airline may owe a bumped passenger under DOT rules.

Beyond that, it’s all negotiable. Seats on long or infrequent flights may be worth more. Hasbrouck said he once saw a passenger awarded $300 plus a hotel voucher plus a business-class seat for being bumped from a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Los Angeles.

A caution for the holidays: Don’t be too eager to give up your seat. Full flights may mean you won’t get to your destination in time.

Before taking a flight voucher, ask these questions:

* What type is it? Most coupons have a dollar limit, but some may be good for any flight, with a few restrictions.

* When does it expire? A year is typical. Pin it down: Do you need to book by then? Travel by then?

* How do you redeem it? Ideally, you can do it online for free. If not, ask for extra money to cover the $10 or $15 fee that is typically charged when you book by phone or in person.

* Is it subject to blackout dates or other restrictions? If so, you may not be able to use it when you want.

* Is it transferable? That is, can anyone use it, or just you?

In situations other than overbooking, such as delays and cancellations, you’re less likely to get offered any kind of voucher than in the past.

“Years ago, it was a free-for-all,” Trippler said. “Airlines gave away free meals, hotel stays, phone calls, everything.”

But times, and the industry’s financial health, have changed. Tighter budgets mean tighter fists.

“It’s hard to make money if you’re selling air tickets for $98 and putting people up at hotels,” said Trippler, a former airline employee.

A carrier is more likely to provide such vouchers if your flight delay or cancellation was its fault, such as a mechanical problem. But if it was due to weather or other force majeure event that the airline deems out of its control, such as labor strikes or warfare, it may not offer help.

American Airlines’ policy, which is typical, calls for providing “reasonable overnight accommodations, subject to availability” if you don’t get to your destination on the expected day and the interruption was “caused by events within our control.”

But for a force majeure event, it does not make this offer and disavows liability “except to issue an involuntary refund” for any unused part of the ticket.

Airlines’ websites contain their policies, but they’re not always easy to find. Try searching for “Contract of Carriage,” “Conditions of Carriage” or “General Rules Tariff.” (For links to the major airlines’ contracts, see latimes.com/contracts.)

Hotel vouchers present their own challenges. Before heading out of the airport to use one, make sure the hotel has room and will accept the airline’s scrip. Otherwise, you may get caught in the middle.

That’s what Mary Cloud said happened to her and husband, James, in April when they tried to use American Airlines hotel vouchers at the Ramada Plaza Hotel-LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Mary said the front desk refused the vouchers, citing a billing problem with American. A hotel official later told me there was no billing problem and expressed surprise that the voucher was rejected. All agreed, though, that the Coronado, Calif., couple wound up paying $149, plus tax, for their room that night.

Mary said she later asked American to refund the money but the airline declined.

Based on her account, American spokesman Tim Wagner said, “It appears we did everything correctly.”

In fact, the Clouds’ voucher was issued for a weather delay, which is not required by American’s policy.

To the airline, the lesson may be: No good deed goes unpunished. But for consumers, the lessons are at least twofold: Know your vouchers. And remember that a cash bird in the hand may be worth two vouchers in the bush.

Jane Engle welcomes comments but can’t respond individually to letters and calls. Write to Travel Insider, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., CA 90012, or e-mail jane.engle@latimes.com.