A nasty storm with 60 miles per hour winds raked parts of the Northeast in the United States on Tuesday creating dangerous conditions on the road and snarling airports.
More than 1,200 flights were cancelled before noon, mostly along the East Coast, but that is likely to spread west as the day goes on.
Airlines can’t control the weather, but they are still required to provide refunds for customers whose flights are cancelled.
Here’s what to know about your rights, and what to know when cancellations start piling up:
When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travellers a chance to reschedule their trip by a few days at no extra fee. Google your airline and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to see the offers.
It’s better to be stuck at home or in a hotel than to be stranded in an airport terminal, so use the airline’s app or flight websites to make sure that your flight is still on before heading out to the airport. Airlines usually cancel flights hours or even days before departure time.
If you’re already at the airport, it’s time to multi-task to find another flight. Get in line to speak to an airline representative, and call or go online to connect to the airline’s reservations staff. It also helps to reach out on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.
Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge. That depends, however, on the airline having empty seats.
You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including the biggest ones except Southwest, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then it’s often hit or miss. Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, recommends researching alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.
If you no longer want to take the trip, or found alternative means of getting where you’re going, the airline is legally required to pay a refund, even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was cancelled.
“They can’t stick you with a voucher, you can get your money back,” says Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler. “That means you have to cancel your entire reservation, but that could be an easy option for some travellers — especially if you wind up booking a flight on another carrier.”
You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use.
US airlines are not required to pay compensation, even if the cancellation is their fault — such as the lack of a crew, a mechanical problem that grounds the plane, or a computer outage that brings the airline to a halt. However, the Transportation Department is working on a proposal to change that when the airline is at fault.
