What to do if Your Flight Gets Cancelled or Delayed?

Two words that will make a traveler cringe…..FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS. Traveling is an absolute shit show these days. I read a story recently about a family that missed out on their Mediterranean cruise vacation because their connecting flight from NYC to Greece was cancelled and that was the ONLY flight to Greece that day. Reading that broke my heart. An experience of a lifetime ruined and it was completely out of their control.

As I’m writing this article, 700 flights were cancelled yesterday and 800 more today. Flight cancellations and delays are becoming the norm these days and it has affected ALL airlines. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, almost 55,000 flights were cancelled during the first two months of 2022, the highest ever recorded for the first two months of the year!

A lot of the cancelled flights recently were because of bad weather. A large part is due to the shortage of employees, as many workers were laid off during the pandemic. In addition to flight attendants, there’s a shortage of pilots, baggage handlers, and air traffic controllers. Airlines are responding by cancelling flights and temporarily cutting flights to certain cities.

Some airlines are also scheduling more flights then they can operate. You almost can’t fault them for doing this as they try to make up for lost revenue early on in the pandemic and trying to capitalize on travel demand that has come roaring back. Until they cancel your flight or change the flight times after you’ve booked (Since Covid, flight times being changed multiple times after you purchase the flight has been the norm). Then that shit is personal.

Is having a flight cancelled or delayed completely out of your control? No. There are some precautions you can take to decrease your odds of having your flight cancelled and your vacation ruined before it even starts.

1. Book your flight early in the day. The earlier the better. 6-9Am has scientifically been proven to be the sweet spot for domestic departures. Seriously. Historically, the least amount of flight cancellations have occurred during this time (6-7pm is the worst time). This is because problems happen throughout the day (planes break down, affects connecting flights and things start to get backed up, maybe there is some bad weather in a few cities) and all of a sudden all of these issues compounded and cause flights to be delayed at the end of the day. And if your early flight should get cancelled or delayed, you have the rest of the day to rebook.

2. Research a flight’s historical punctuality. While searching for flights to book, enter the flight number on the U.S. Bureau of Transportation’s website. This shows you the history of all of the flight delays for all airlines. Price shouldn’t be the only deciding factor when booking a flight these days.

3. Consider flying a day earlier than you need to. Especially if it’s a once in a lifetime international vacation or a funeral or wedding. Whatever it is, if it’s something you’ll feel bad about missing for the rest of your life, just book a day earlier if you can.

4. Avoid layovers if you can. I know that’s easier said then done. Most flights are not non-stop. And you save money by booking flights with layovers. But doubling the amount of flights you have to take means doubling the possibility of cancellations and delays.

5. If you do book a flight with a layover, schedule longer layovers than usual. Especially with connecting flights on international trips. My rule of thumb right now is 2 hours for domestic flights and at least 3 hours for international flights. I almost missed my connecting flight from NYC to New Orleans coming back from Spain because I only had a 2 hour layover. I didn’t know that after you go through customs when coming back to the States you have to go through security again. You also have to claim your luggage and recheck it again as well. If I would have checked a bag, I definitely would have missed my connecting flight home.

6. Avoid layovers in Newark or the two NYC airport, JFK and La Guardia. All three airports regularly rank at the top for the most flight delays / cancellations, with Newark having the worst recently with 1 in 3 flights being delayed or cancelled.

7. Do not purchase the least expensive airfare. I know I know, the whole point of my blog is to help you save money while traveling. And if you can live with a flight delay or rebooking, then go for the cheapest flight. But typically the cheapest flights (Basic Economy) do not give you an option to select your own seat. The airline will assign you a seat before boarding. And if that flight was overbooked, guess who is getting bumped? The person without an assigned seat.

8. Sign up for TSA Precheck and Global Entry! The less time in lines the better!

9. Sign up for text alerts when booking a flight and download your airline’s app. I’ve had flights change gates and departure times and I received a notification from the app about it before the change showed up on the departures screen in the airport. Anddd if your flight does get cancelled, you can book another flight through the app.

10. Do NOT check bags, if you can help it. It’s easier and quicker to rebook a flight at the last minute if you only have a carry-on bag.

11. Check the weather before your departure. Airlines will typically issue a weather waiver on their website or app if inclement weather is on the horizon and threatens to cancel flights. The waiver gives passengers the option to make a one-time change to their flights for free. However, if the airline hasn’t issued its own weather advisory and waiver ahead of time, you may have to pay fees to make a change to your itinerary. One way to combat paying is a fee is to just show up extra early to your flight. You can either ask the airline for an earlier departure or get put on standby for an earlier flight. In addition to checking your airline’s website or app for a waiver, you can see active cancellations and delays on FlightAware‘s Misery Map.

12. Check into your flight 24 hours in advance and make sure you arrive to your gate on time. Typically people that are involuntarily bumped off of a flight first are the ones that checked in last or are last to arrive at the gate.

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What To Do If Your Flight Is Actually Cancelled or Delayed

1. Know your rights. US airlines are not required to compensate passengers when flights are delayed or cancelled, only when passengers are bumped from a flight that is oversold. However. the US Department of Transportation states that “If your flight is cancelled and you choose to cancel your trip as a result, you are entitled to a refund for the unused transportation – even for non-refundable tickets. You are also entitled to a refund for any bag fee that you paid, and any extras you may have purchased, such as a seat assignment. Airlines are not required to provide passengers with money or other compensation for costs that fall outside of the cancelled airline ticket and fees tied directly to the airline ticket (such as baggage fees, seat upgrades, etc.) when flights are cancelled.” Remember that you are always entitled to either be rebooked on another flight or a full refund, not both.

Airlines have a “Contract of Carriage,” a legal document that details what passengers are entitled to (refunds, vouchers, discounts, hotel stays) due to a flight delay or cancellation. Each airline’s is different. Knowing what you are entitled to is half the battle, especially when it comes to delays, which are either because of weather or a mechanical issue. You are typically entitled to more benefits due to mechanical issues rather than “Acts of God” a.k.a. bad weather. If the delay is long enough, don’t be afraid to ask about meal and lodging accommodations. Most contracts of carriage are pages and pages of fine print so be prepared to read. Kudos to Jet Blue for making life easy:

Click on the links below to read the contract of carriage for each of the major US airlines:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta
• Frontier
• JetBlue
• Southwest
• Spirit
• United

2. Get in line to speak to an agent and while you’re waiting in line, check your airline’s app to see if there is a “cancel and refund” option available. DM your airline on Twitter, message your airline through their app, and call the airline as well. Do EVERYTHING. You’re competing with everyone else on your flight to get to your destination.

If you’re trying to get a hold of a customer service rep on the phone, remember that everyone on your cancelled flight is trying to do the same. Instead of calling your airline’s domestic number, call your airline’s international number if they have one instead, using Skype or WhatsApp.

• Alaska Airlines – 001-206-244-0751
• American Airlines – 480-693-2759
• Delta – 800-241-4141
• JetBlue – 1-800-538-2583
• Spirit – 855-728-3555 (Using WhatsApp)

3. If you’re flying internationally and while you’re waiting in line to speak to an agent, find out who your airline’s partner airlines are. You can ask the agent to be put on one of their partner’s flights to your original destination. There are three major airline alliances: SkyTeam, Star Alliance, and OneWorld.

• SkyTeam partners: Delta, Air France, AeroMexico, and Korean.
• Star Alliance partners: Lufthansa, Air Canada, United Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, and Thai Airways.
• OneWorld partners: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian Airlines, and Sri Lankan Airlines are all partners.

4. Don’t be an asshole. I know you’re frustrated. I know your dream vacation is in jeopardy of being ruined. But being polite goes a lot further than being rude. It’s not the agent’s fault your flight was delayed or cancelled. They will typically try to do everything they can to accommodate you. So be nice.

5. If your flight was cancelled and it’s relatively early, try to book a new flight for later in the day. You can also book a new flight to a city nearby to your original destination and drive the rest of the way.

6. Ask to be placed on same-day standby. Don’t take no for an answer.

7. If your flight was delayed or cancelled and all other flights are booked until tomorrow, ask about hotel and dining accommodations. Check the credit card that you used to pay for your original flight to see if it offers trip delay insurance, which will help cover expenses like lodging and dining while you wait for the next available flight.

8. If the delayed or cancelled flight ruins your trip and you decide to go the refund route, know that you’re entitled to a cash refund. You don’t have to take the voucher that they try to push on you. Vouchers typically have strict expiration dates (have to use with one year) and a list of “should’ve read the fine print” conditions.

9. Nothing in life is easy, including getting a refund from an airline. You may get lucky and there’s a cancel and refund option in the airline’s app. Or there is an online form that you can fill out. But most likely you’ll have to call customer service.

10. If for some weird reason the airline refuses to issue a refund, threaten to file a complaint with the DOT since they’re violating the DOT’s rules. Worst case you dispute the charge on your credit card.

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What to do if you are voluntarily / involuntarily bumped from your flight?

To ensure flights are full and to account for no-shows, airlines will intentionally overbook flights. Every airline (Except for JetBlue) does it. But when this backfires and there are more passengers than available seats, they will bump passengers. Now they can do this two ways: voluntarily and involuntarily. The DOT requires airlines to ask its passengers to voluntarily give up their seats for compensation (money or vouchers) first. Delta recently offered $10K to passengers to give up their seats!!! But when there’s not enough volunteers, the airlines have to involuntarily bump their passengers but still compensate them. When you are involuntarily bumped, the amount of compensation depends on how much longer it takes the airline to get you to your destination:

• If you arrive at your destination within 1 hour of your original scheduled arrival time, you are not entitled to compensation.
• 200% of your one-way ticket price or $775 maximum if you arrive at your destination between 1 to 2 hours after your original arrival time.
• 400% of your one-way ticket price or a $1,550 maximum if you arrive at your domestic destination more than 2 hours later than your original arrival time or if you arrive at your international destination more than 4 hours later than your original arrival time, or if the airline does not make substitute travel arrangements for you.
• If you choose to rebook your own flight instead of letting the airline rebook it for you, you will be compensated for the price of the ticket you purchased.
• If your flight was booked with rewards, you will be compensated for the price of the same fare class.
• If you purchased any extras on your original flight like Wi-Fi, upgraded seats, checked baggage, etc., you will be compensated for those extra services.

The compensation amounts above are the MINIMUM amount airlines must compensate for an involuntary bumping. There is no maximum limit to the amount airlines can offer so NEGOTIATE! Ask for what you think is fair. Also, if the airline provides a voucher instead of cash, make sure you ask what the restrictions are.

Per the DOT, you are required to be compensated via cash or check if you are involuntarily bumped. Airlines have to offer compensation the same day and if you leave on your rescheduled flight before the airline compensates you, they have to pay you within 24 hours of the bumping.