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With day-after-day of stormy weather plaguing much of the US, flight cancellations and delays have reached a frustratingly high level for travelers in the last week. Since Sunday, Flight Aware reported more than 121,000 flight disruptions, with hundreds of flights in coming days already off schedule, as the nation heads into the busiest Fourth of July travel weekend yet.
On top of the inclement weather, the predicted shortage of air traffic controllers has led to finger pointing between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airlines, as United CEO Scott Kirby said the agency reduced departures by 75 percent and arrivals by 40 percent on Saturday alone.
To add to that, smoke from the Canadian wildfires, which caused airline disruptions earlier this month, are also predicted to continue moving across the border, as an additional potential threat to on-time flights.
But that doesn't mean that air travel needs to come with a side of frustration if itineraries go off kilter—all it takes is knowing what to do when you're faced with a flight delay or cancellation. Knowing your rights as a passenger and how to navigate the web of federal regulations and airline policies can help get you on the next-best flight to your final destination, as fast as possible.
“To salvage your trip after a disruption, the priority should be to check out what your flight options are and contact someone as soon as possible,” Going.com travel expert Katy Nastro says. She adds that one of the biggest mistakes passengers make is not checking what travel protections they're entitled to, often for free through their credit cards.
But the top piece of advice she offers is to get ahead of the possible issues by prioritizing morning flights, which she says are 25 percentage points higher on rate of on-time arrivals. “First, the weather tends to be better in the morning versus later in the day,” Nastro says. “Second, your plane is already at the airport, not flying in from elsewhere and at the mercy of Mother Nature." She also suggests opting for nonstop routes to minimize the number of flights that could suffer from interruptions.
Here are tips to navigate flight cancellations and disruptions this busy summer travel season.
Avoid weather-related delays and cancellations ahead of time
All year long—especially during hurricane season—airlines are monitoring severe weather. If inclement conditions are in the forecast, airlines will often post a travel alert, with the option to change your flight to another day, free of charge. These alerts are also often sent via email, text, or within the airline's app.
Check for these notices on the carriers' travel alerts pages, which are usually posted a day or two before the weather event is to take place. (Here are the pages for American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United.) Check early to beat the rush, and snag one of the first seats on a new flight after the weather conditions clear.
Plus in 2020, most US airlines permanently eliminated change fees and cancellation fees for domestic flights in regular economy. Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, and United all dropped the fees, while Southwest never charged them. (Some lower-tier tickets may be subject to fees, so double check the fine print before booking. For example JetBlue doesn't have fees, except on its Blue Basic fare.) Spirit and Frontier are both fee-free 60 or more days before departure, and then have incremental charges as it gets closer to take-off.
If it looks like there could be troublesome weather approaching, but your airline hasn't posted a travel notice, you can just rebook yourself without having to pay a penalty. But note that if the new ticket is more expensive, you might need to pay the difference in fare.
Know the flight delay rules in the US
If a flight is delayed for reasons beyond the airline’s control, such as weather, strikes, air traffic control, and, yes, most mechanical issues, US carriers are not obligated to do anything more than get you to your destination on their next available flight. Here’s how the DOT sums it up on its Fly Rights page:
“Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers waiting at the airport; there are no federal requirements. If you are delayed, ask the airline staff if it will pay for meals or a phone call. Some airlines, often those charging very low fares, do not provide any amenities to stranded passengers. Others may not offer amenities if the delay is caused by bad weather or something else beyond the airline's control. Contrary to popular belief, for domestic itineraries airlines are not required to compensate passengers whose flights are delayed or canceled."
According to the DOT, compensation is required by law only when a passenger is bumped from an oversold flight.
If you know this ahead of time, it’s easier to be calm and courteous when you ask for information about your flight and whether the airline can assist you. No matter how frustrating the situation may be, you’ll get better results if you treat the gate agents with compassion.
Rebook without an agent
When a flight is canceled, most people's instinct is to stand in line at a service counter or get on the phone. But while you’re waiting, use your smartphone browser to see if you can rebook yourself for free. Last week, United rolled out a new app feature to help customers rebook flights, as well as obtain hotel and meal vouchers and track bags during disruptions. Most airlines have some sort of rebooking option on both their apps and web sites. Just pull up your reservation and you’ll see the option to rebook with just a few clicks.
If you're catching a tight connecting flight that you might miss, on flights with Wi-Fi, most airlines give you free access to their own website, so you can use your smartphone to check the status of your connection, see options, and sometimes rebook before you even land.
If you do end up needing to speak with an agent, but airline call centers have hours-long hold times, Nastro offers a valuable pro tip: “Try giving the international customer service line a call. Just because you are flying domestically, doesn't mean the same scenario affects other parts of the world. So while everyone might try the US customer service line, you'll most likely get to an agent faster by trying one of the foreign lines where the agents can help you all the same.”
Consider alternate airports
The big airports aren't usually the only airports in town; think about the alternates. If you get stuck and the next available flight is from a different, nearby airport, considering taking it. There is always a way to get between airports, whether renting a car, taking a ride-share or taxi, or hiring a shuttle. The same goes for wherever you're heading to.
Don’t accept the first option you’re given
When an airline tells you it will be three days before you can get home, don’t buy it. In bad weather, seats are constantly changing hands. If you don’t like what you’re given, be persistent—but polite—and keep checking for options on your smartphone. In addition to your airline’s tools, Expedia, Kayak and Google Flights are great about showing creative options you can feed to an agent.
Ask to be rebooked on another airline
This one might be a long shot, but it is certainly worth trying. If you're facing a significant delay and chances of getting another seat with your original airline are looking slim, you can ask to be rebooked on a competing airline.
"Find out if another carrier has space and ask the first airline if they will endorse your ticket to the other carrier,” the DOT advises. Keep in mind that there is no rule compelling airlines to do this, so politeness is crucial in this scenario. If your original carrier has codeshare agreements with any other airlines, start your search with them. (Within the US, JetBlue and American Airlines have one such agreement, as do American and Alaska Airlines.) Your carrier might be more inclined to rebook you on a partner.
If you have elite status with your airline or are flying in a premium cabin, you have a better chance of getting this option to work for you. For instance, American Airlines rebooking rules say that first-class passengers and those with the highest elite status whose flights are canceled are to be rebooked on any flight that gets them there the fastest—that includes partner airlines, codeshares, and even flights with a competing airline, according to a USA Today report. Delta and United have similar policies.
Know when you're owed a cash refund
Remember: If an airline cancels your flight, you are owed a refund. Some carriers might try to imply that they can only give you a voucher for future travel, but that is not the case, according to the DOT's rules. In fact, US carriers were issued two formal warnings from the DOT in 2020, stating that they need to be more forthcoming with customers about when they are owed a refund instead of a flight voucher.
With the knowledge you'll get your money back eventually—even though it may take a phone call or two after the fact—you can feel freed up to search for options on other airlines.
Note: The DOT's refund rule also applies to “significant changes” that are within the airline's control. This doesn't cover flight changes due to weather or mechanical problems, but does include things like shifting flight schedules. Even so, it can be tricky to get your money back, as the DOT leaves it up to each airline to reasonably interpret what a “significant change” is.
That said, major strides are being made to hold flight carriers more accountable. A proposed bill to have airlines pay passengers for flight delays is currently in the works, following a practice that's already active in Europe.
Also, remember to check your credit card to see what protections it may offer. “Many cards nowadays reimburse travelers for extended delays, cancellations, delayed or lost luggage, and other travel mishaps,” Nastro says. “Check your credit card’s specific policies with a quick Google search to see what you might automatically be entitled to—free!—just by purchasing the flight with that specific card.”
This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
Eric Jordan, Brett Snyder, and Brian Karimzad contributed to this report.