What to do when your flight is cancelled

Photo by Suganth on Unsplash

By Ed Perkins
Posted on September 10, 2024

You either experienced the July airline meltdown or read about or viewed some of the grief it caused, and you’re wondering what to do to make it easier if it happens again.

The short answer is “not much.” It seems that airline computer systems are not the most robust on the planet, and if they’re down, you can’t even reach the airline to try to arrange a fix. You have to wing it — not a very helpful suggestion, but a realistic one.

Get what you’re owed

In reviewing your options, start with figuring out exactly what your airline owes you. And here, the airlines draw a big distinction between difficulties caused by something within their control and those caused by some external cause.

Specifics are included in each airline’s contract of carriage, but the Department of Transportation (DoT) conveniently posts a “dashboard” on its website showing what each of the 10 large domestic scheduled lines and their regional partners offers in the event of significant controllable cancellations and delays. DoT defines a significant delay period of three hours.

All lines promise to rebook you on one of their own flights, and all promise a meal or meal voucher. All except Frontier promise a hotel room if the delay extends overnight.

However, the DoT dashboard covers only what you’re due if the delay/cancellation is caused by a “controllable” problem. And airlines are pretty good at defining problems as not being under their control.

When almost everyone’s computer system goes down, that’s probably not controllable, but if only one airline has IT problems, that’s probably controllable.

Getting where you’re going

The DoT dashboard reflects what an airline owes you if you wish to keep trying to get to your destination.

If the airline cancels your flight for any reason, controllable or not, you can refuse its suggested alternative and get a full cash refund. If the problem is not controllable, that’s all you get if your airline cancels.

Keep in mind that trip-interruption insurance won’t save your day or ease the snarl. It pays for extra expenses of getting you home, but it doesn’t find the airline seats you need to get there. As I’ve noted so often, travel insurance helps with the money, not the experience.

Overall, my approach to a snarled airline system is to get my refunds, cancel downstream reservations, and go back home until the snarl is resolved.

If you can’t do that, you have to tough it out — or else rent a car to complete your trip, if that last segment is short enough.

The DoT dashboard covers only domestic airlines. If you’re on a flight within the European Community (EC) or originating in the EC on any airline, and into the EC on an EC-based airline, EC Rule EU261 requires your airline to provide additional compensation and assistance, including cash compensation.

Moreover, the rule limits what an airline may claim to be non-controllable. Overall, EC flyers are better off than those in the U.S. (There’s a good summary of the benefits of this rule at bit.ly/ECflights.)

To reduce your risk

If you haven’t firmed up plans for a fall trip, you’re probably considering ways to minimize risks — personal and financial — of some future meltdown.

Here are two ideas:

Take direct flights: The best way to minimize risks of dealing with a snarled system — for any reason — is to avoid connecting flights or at least avoid the largest mega-hubs. News reports clearly revealed that the worst grief in the recent meltdown struck travelers at hub airports. So even if nonstops are more expensive or require using less convenient airports, avoiding a hub connection or a hub is a big plus. [Ed. note: Major hub airports include Dulles, O’Hare, JFK and LAX.]
Buy travel insurance: The best way to avoid financial risk is to minimize prepayments and deposits that are either nonrefundable or carry stiff cancellation penalties. If you can’t avoid putting a lot of money up front, buy trip-cancellation insurance.

Email Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net or visit his rail travel website at rail-guru.com.