This is heartening for the frustrated traveler, less so for the already cash-strapped U.S. airline carriers. The Department of Transportation has announced new regulations that require airlines who lose your baggage to refund you for the (usually pricey) fee that was paid to check luggage.

So if an airline loses your bag in transit or you get bumped to a different flight because it was oversold, you'll now get a refund for the fee in addition to the compensation the airlines already pay for lost luggage. "It's just common sense," explained a DOT spokesperson to the news outlet.

One catch: you won't get a refund if your luggage is merely delivered late.

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Erik Hayden