Airlines we love them, and we hate them. They bring us to our loved ones and the places that we dream about it. They, also, can bring us endless despair and nightmares. I like to think that we are a team and that we can work together to make this journey more enjoyable. The key is to prepare and educate yourself before you step into the airport. Did you know like, the bill of rights in the United States Constitution, there is also an airline passenger’s bill of rights? The airline’s bill of rights, covers a broad spectrum of airline travel. However, I am going to help explain delayed and canceled flights.
Currently, there isn’t a federal policy on compensation for delayed and canceled flights. However, each airline has its own policy. As we have seen in every industry since the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic, the travel industry has experienced a huge labor shortage and unprecedented demand. If you throw in a little weather that is a recipe for the “perfect storm” of travel nightmares. So, we need to be prepared. The airline’s policies aren’t well known, but it is good to know the basics before you fly.
So, you arrive at the airport and your flight is delayed, the first question that you should be asking, what is the reason for the delay? The two main culprits are “Act of God” and “Mechanical”. Act of God is basically anything that is out of the airline’s control, specifically weather. The problem with an Act of God delay is that the airline is not responsible to provide you with meal or hotel vouchers. The only recourse that you have is to be booked on the next available flight or a flight refund. Mechanical is usually the obvious, such as a problem with the engine or inoperable lavatories (poop happens). It is good to find out the reason of your delay, as the major U.S. airlines, such as American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, just to name a few, will provide you with meal and hotel vouchers if it is a mechanical delay.
It can sometimes be a mystery the reason for your delay. You may be in Kansas City, Missouri and the weather is beautiful, so why are you on a weather delay? The plane is likely coming in from one of its hubs, and if one of the hubs has weather it snowballs systemwide. The tricky part is when a weather delay turns into a mechanical delay that then turns into a crew delay. It becomes a blurred line on who is at fault, and it can be difficult to navigate. The lack of clarity is one of the main reasons the U.S. needs a federally enforced “Bill of Rights”, which there is hope as this bill is currently being discussed in the U.S. Senate.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has created a helpful guide to reference for all the major U.S. airlines DOT Dashboard. Most airlines have listed on their website their policies when it comes to delays. The best thing to do is be prepared. I always suggest joining the airlines’ frequent flyer program, even if you aren’t a frequent flyer or you are not flying your preferred airline. Next, make sure to download the airline’s app, this way you will get information quickly, and you may even be able to select a new flight from the app. Finally, be nice to the airline agents, as they have a lot of power when it comes to your travel destiny. Here are some links for U.S. airlines and their policies for delayed flights:
United Airlines just added an option to their app that allows you to check amenities, such as hotel and meal vouchers.
I always like to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I think the best advice I can give is to make sure to pack your patience and sense of adventure when you leave your home on the way to the airport. We are all in this together and the journey may not be as enjoyable as the destination, but it doesn’t have to be a travel nightmare. Also, in closing, I think it is important that we as travelers have a more solid “Bill of Rights” that is backed by the federal government. NPR had a nice article that summed up the Bill of Rights and the Southwest meltdown that led Congress to open their eyes to the issues that we face as travelers, NPR Article. We can’t forget the travel nightmare of last Christmas that was the Southwest Airlines meltdown. While, Southwest Airlines has made great strides to right the wrongs of the past, this could easily happen again.
My Must Have Travel Items: