Although flight cancellations were down Wednesday compared to Monday evening, thousands of U.S. flights were still delayed or canceled, leaving travelers stranded.
As of Wednesday morning, FlightAware reported 1,402 cancellations and 1,092 delays related to any domestic flights as well as flights coming in or out of the U.S. Snowstorms and staffing shortages related to surging COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant could be behind the issues.
Before the flight cancellations Wednesday, 5,300 flights were grounded over the weekend, followed by another 3,000 on Monday and 1,562 cancellations Tuesday. In the past two weeks, more than 20,000 U.S. flights have been canceled, said CNN Business. According to NPR, travelers were left stuck for days to rack up food and lodging expenses.
For those impacted by these cancellations as well as delays, here are some tips:
Switch to a different flight
When a flight is canceled, most airlines rebook passengers for free on their next flight to the destination if there are available seats.
If there are none, passengers can request a flight on another airline.
When a flight is delayed, passengers can also request seats on another flight on the same airline. However, some airlines will charge an additional fee or charge a higher fare for the new flight.
While delayed passengers can also request a seat on another airline, there are no federal regulations that require airlines to seat customers on other companies’ flights or to reimburse those customers, according to the U.S.
Department of Transportation. Switching airlines could also make it difficult to track checked luggage.
Get a refund
Those who decide not to rebook either with the original airline or another are entitled to a refund for the unused transportation, even if the tickets were non-refundable, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Passengers are also entitled to refunds for bag fees and other fees.
NPR recommends getting refunds in money rather than vouchers, which can expire and can have restrictions.
Travelers who decide to hit the road rather than catch another flight should be careful, as travel delays have also hit motorists this week. On Tuesday, thousands of motorists were stranded on a Virginia highway, including U.S. Senator Tim Kaine.
Passengers who are bumped from overbooked flights are also entitled to refunds, said the outlet.
In cases where it is not possible to book a new flight to a passenger’s destination close to their originally scheduled arrival time, they could be entitled to as much as $1,550, or 400 percent of the one-way fare, according to the Department of Transportation.
Call your credit card company
Sometimes, it is better to deal with credit card companies than the government when seeking a refund for a flight, as they offer better protections, said NPR.
For example, benefits programs can include trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay insurance and baggage insurance. Credit card companies sometimes help arrange new itineraries and reimburse travelers for expenses resulting from delays or other postponements, including additional hotel stays, rental cars or extra meals.
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