[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

My main objection is the sheer unfairness of the contract terms, in favour of the airline.

As I've indicated in previous posts Contracts of Carriage can be intrepeted (by the Courts) more liberally, in favor of the customer, if the customer contests a given provision (usually in Small Claims Court.) The reason, again, is that these contracts are "Contracts of Adhesion." Unlike a conventional contract, the customer has no input into the provisions of a Contract of Adhesion. The problem arises as to the degree of unfairness, or "unconscionability," which a given Court will allow. This can vary from one state to the next. However, all courts do have SOME threshold which, if crossed, renders a given provision "unconscionable," and therefor, illegal.