Prepare for snow. A snowstorm is impacting the “interior Mid-Atlantic region and much of New England” on Sunday, according to Accuweather meteorologists, already disrupting travel plans.
As of 7:00 PM ET, approximately 820 U.S. flights have been canceled and another 5,859 flights have been delayed. United Airlines was the hardest hit, with 257 flights canceled or about 9% of its schedule, although that may be related to the Federal Aviation Administration's order to ground Boeing 737 Max 9 planes. United has 79 planes in its fleet, and Alaska Airlines, which operates 65 MAX 9 aircraft, has the second-highest number of cancellations so far — 163, or about 21% of its schedule.
If your flights are affected by the weather, it is important to know your rights. You may be entitled to compensation from the airline or even a full refund, depending on the situation.
The Department of Transportation has an airline customer service dashboard to help travelers understand the basics, and the commitments outlined there are legally binding on airlines. The general rule is that you are entitled to a refund if your flight is canceled for any reason and you choose not to travel on the alternative flights offered to you. As for delays, airlines are required to compensate you if delays occur, such as those caused by crew scheduling or mechanical issues. But “uncontrollable delays” such as those caused by weather or air traffic control requirements are not usually eligible for compensation.
Airlines also offer more flexibility to rebook well in advance of severe weather if you think your plans may be affected.
Air exemptions for airlines
The following airlines offer change waivers to allow you to adjust your travel plans in the Northeast in the coming days. Click on each airline to see policy details.
What happens if my flight is cancelled?
For any cancellation, you are entitled to a refund if you choose not to travel. However, if you accept alternative flights, your entitlements will change.
For example, if American Airlines, Delta, Hawaiian, or United cancel a flight for controllable reasons, they are obligated to:
- Rebook passengers on the same airline or a partner airline, at no additional cost
- Providing a meal, cash or meal voucher when a cancellation would result in the passenger waiting at least three hours for a new flight
- Providing free hotel accommodation for any passenger affected by the cancellation of a one-night reservation
- Providing free ground transportation to and from the hotel for any traveler affected by the overnight cancellation
Alaska and JetBlue offer the same thing, plus some additional compensation.
Allegiant, Frontier, Southwest and Spirit do not book passengers on partner airlines. In addition, Frontier does not provide hotel accommodations and related transportation.
What happens if the flight is delayed?
“There are no federal laws requiring airlines to provide passengers with cash or other compensation when their flights are delayed,” according to the Department of Transportation, but U.S. airlines have committed to varying levels of compensation for significant delays. However, each airline defines significant delays differently.
If a flight is significantly delayed for reasons within their control, Alaska, American, Delta, Jet Blue, and United offer:
- Rebook passengers on the same airline or a partner airline, at no additional cost
- Providing a meal, cash or meal voucher when a delay results in the passenger waiting at least three hours for departure
- Providing free hotel accommodation for any passengers affected by the overnight delay
- Providing free ground transportation to and from the hotel for any passengers affected by overnight delays
Alaska and JetBlue offer the same thing plus some additional compensation.
Allegiant, Frontier, Hawaiian, Southwest and Spirit do not rebook passengers on partner airlines. Frontier does not provide hotel accommodations or related transportation either.
How to check why your flight was delayed or cancelled
There is usually no central repository of reasons for airline delays or cancellations, but carriers usually advise passengers of the reason behind the schedule change.
Your best bet to find out what happened is to look at your airline's app or any emails you receive from the carrier about your flight. If you are already at the airport, you can speak to a gate agent or other customer service employee.
The FAA also has a website that lists general air traffic restrictions by airport, and this can be a good way to find out if weather or air traffic control staffing issues are delaying your flight.
How can you request additional compensation from airlines during controllable delays and cancellations?
Often times, you will have to talk to a customer service agent or you may even have to wait in line at the airport to get things like hotel and meal vouchers.
Refunds or credits are often processed over the phone or through airline customer service chat features, and it may be worth waiting a few days for call volume to decrease if all you're looking for is a refund and you don't need to be rebooked. . Airlines rarely reimburse you afterward if you've paid out-of-pocket for a hotel, meal, or ground transportation as a result of a delay, but a travel insurance policy will often reimburse you, which is why having one can be so beneficial. In the very few cases where airlines offer out-of-pocket reimbursement, they will specify what you need to do to claim it, as Southwest did during its collapse over the winter.
How can I protect myself when I travel?
It's a good idea to get travel insurance, especially during the winter when storms can disrupt flights. This will provide you with an additional amount of security in case something goes wrong.
Contributing: Eve Chen, USA TODAY
