Published 6:40 AM PDT, December 28, 2022. Moreover, there is no federal law requiring carriers to compensate passengers for delays, according to the DOT, and airlines are given the freedom to create their own reimbursement practices. Travelers should be familiar with their carrier's delay policy and not be afraid to ask for a meal or hotel voucher regardless of the reason for the delay. Nearly two thirds of Southwest Airlines flights were delayed or cancelled Monday due to winter storms across the US and related staffing issues, according to a statement from the airline. In the case of weather, there is no obligation for airlines to offer anything to passengers because the disruptions are outside of the carrier's control, so passengers may be limited in what they get. Southwest canceled a whopping 85 of its scheduled flights on Monday and accounted for 53 of all of Tuesday’s US flight cancellations as of 2 p.m. Travelers can also request vouchers for meals and hotel stays if disruption to a trip is severe. However, the airline may not be inclined to help once a booking is fully canceled and refunded. Travel credits offered by the airline can often only be used on that airline, while a refund gives travelers additional freedom, whether it be to scrap a trip outright or rebook with a different airline. Passengers in line in Miami to rebook canceled American Airlines flights in 2021.Īirlines must provide a refund to travelers who cancel their bookings outright, according to the Department of Transportation. Buttegieg warned that the Department of Transportation may take enforcement action, such as fines against carriers, if they don't comply, Politico reported. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pressed airline executives this week to improve operations by taking steps like cutting additional flights from summer schedules. The travel woes have intensified since Memorial Day weekend, when more than 2,500 flights were canceled, as airlines struggle to keep up with overwhelming demand and labor shortages that have left many carriers understaffed. Thousands of angry passengers were stranded due to the cancelations and Southwest went into damage control mode. That follows nearly a week of turmoil that began. By Monday morning 365 Southwest flights were canceled and more than 600 were delayed. If the Memorial Day and Juneteenth holiday weekend travel snarls are any indication, flight delays and cancellations are going to be an unfortunate theme this summer.Īirlines have canceled or delayed nearly 16,000 flights within, out of, or into the US since Friday according to Flight Aware, thwarting holiday plans for travelers around the country, and in one case, even leaving dozens of passengers stranded for more than 24 hours at the Atlanta airport. Southwest canceled 2,508 flights Wednesday, according to the flight tracker Flight Aware, with an additional 2,348 already canceled for Thursday. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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