A combination of bad weather and technology issues has caused many flights to be canceled or delayed over the past week.
Passengers were thrown off track as thunderstorms began rolling in across the East Coast and the Midwest. The Federal Aviation AdministrationFAA also had to temporarily pause operations at Washington D.C. airports Sunday because of a communication system problem at a major air traffic control facility.
In addition to that, industry experts have warned that air traffic control is understaffed, making matters worse.
At the same time, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the FAA reduced the arrival and departure rates at Newark, one of United's hubs by 40% and the departure rates by 75%, a reflection of understaffing and lower experience at the airline. Kathleen Bangs, a former airline pilot and current FlightAware spokeswoman, told Fox Business that with air traffic control short-staffed, any high-traffic airspace impacted by weather could see excessive delays and cancellations. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Friday said the agency continues to monitor weather and smoke and is working closely with airlines to address potential disruptions. If your flight is canceled, the Transportation Department will rebook you for free as long as the flight has seats, according to the Transportation Department.
If you cancel the trip, you are entitled to a full refund, even if you purchased nonrefundable tickets. You are also entitled to a refund of any additional fees, such as bag fees, seat upgrades, or other extras.
For cancellations within an airline's control, all carriers will also be able to rebook passengers on a partner airline or another airline with a contract for free, according to the DOT's dashboard, which helps travelers compare the benefits the competing airlines offer. The dashboard shows that Allegiant, Frontier, Southwest, Southwest and Spirit have not made that commitment.
Most airline companies will also do this for significant delays that are in their control only Southwest, Spirit, Hawaiian, Frontier and Allegiant.
The Biden administration is currently pushing for a new rule that would require airlines to compensate air travelers and cover their meals and hotel rooms if they are stranded for reasons within the airline's control.
For now, all major carriers offer a meal or meal cash voucher for passengers waiting for three hours or more for a new flight, according to the dashboard. The airline also offers a meal or meal cash voucher when flight delays result in passengers waiting at least three hours.
All airlines, except for Frontier, offer free hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay or overnight cancellation, and also free ground transportation to and from the hotel, according to the DOT dashboard.
The dashboard shows that Alaska and JetBlue are the only two airlines that give credit and travel vouchers when cancellation results in passengers waiting for at least three hours from the scheduled departure time. In cases of a significant delay, Alaska and JetBlue offer credit or a voucher.