cancelled flights

[Letsbgoofy]

What responsibility does the airline have if they cancel your flight? I have been tracking my flights the last few weeks (yes, I am obsessive) and they have cancelled my flight to Atlanta 2 times; today being one of the times. There is not another flight for about 7 hours. Does the airline have to book you on a flight with another airline if they cancel? Or do I miss an entire day of my vacation?

 

[Serene1]

This happened to us in June. We were on our way to Seattle and were at our layover in Dallas. They cancelled our connecting flight and said all the rest of their flights for the remainder of the day were pretty full. Everyone was told it was first come first served on getting to Seattle on any other flights with their airline or anyone else’s.

Six hours later, after trying to go “standby” on three different flights at three different concourses, we were able to get on a flight to Seattle. It wasn’t fun hauling three little kids and a carseat all over DFW for those six hours, but it beat the original arrangement the ticket agent was able to give us of waiting until 10:00 that night, then flying to Las Vegas, then flying to Seattle.

So basically, they will try and get you on another flight, but remember that everyone else on your flight also needs to get to that destination and there are only so many available seats.

 

[CarolA]

Pray for good weather. We are having a rash of thunderstorms in Atlanta after a summer of no rain at all. That could easily be why your plane was cancelled

My suggestion is know what the next flight option is and AS SOON as they cancel call the airlines 800 number. That is golng to be faster then standing in line. (Although I would do that too, that's the only way you can get written over to another airline).

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

The airline will try to rebook you on another flight (on their planes) as soon as they can. It may take a while and yes, your vacation may be delayed. The airline will not owe you compensation for this.

 

[StrwLady]

In March our direct flight on American Airlines from Dallas to Anaheim was canceled because of equipment problems. This was the Sunday before spring break for the metropolitan area. So all flights were pretty much booked up. They got us on a flight from Dallas to Chicago with a 3 hour lay over and then back down to Anaheim. I did ask if they could put us on another carrier so we could go direct and was told that he looked but didn't find anything else direct.

With our canceled flight we would have arrived 11am PST but because of the redirect we arrived 10pm PST. We did get a voucher for a cab ride since we were flying into a different airport and couldn’t reschedule our shuttle, we were bumped to First Class for the Chicago to Anaheim leg of the fight and were able to change our return flight without fees so we could add a day.

I would imagine if the cancellation is due to a weather delay in another city preventing your plane to arrive in your city in time that this would be similar to an equipment delay and they would be able to work with other airlines.

Take Care
Jamie

 

[Letsbgoofy]

The am flight is being cancelled because the pm flight coming from Atlanta the night before is cancelled. I'm going to watch the pm flight the night before we leave; if it's cancelled I will call to see if they can get me on another airline the next morning.

So basically, they will try and get you on another flight, but remember that everyone else on your flight also needs to get to that destination and there are only so many available seats

.


There are only about 10 other people on our flight - I'm not worried about them having to find flights for a large number of people!

 

[seashoreCM]

Although there is no way to prove it, airlines should accommodate passengers waiting for replacement flights (including passengers from flights cancelled due to weather) before selling tickets to elite or premier or gold passengers just walking up to the counter and deciding they want to take a trip.

 

[Nathan's Grandma]

After reading your post, I found a site that mytravelrights.com and found Rule 240. This is the one about if your flight is cancelled. Our flights have changed (or been cancelled) for our upcoming September trip so many times I have about 6 different e-mails from Delta.

Kathy

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Although there is no way to prove it, airlines should accommodate passengers waiting for replacement flights (including passengers from flights cancelled due to weather) before selling tickets to elite or premier or gold passengers just walking up to the counter and deciding they want to take a trip.

I do not agree, and I'm speaking as someone who has experienced both sides of this. Preference should (and are) be given to elite members of airline programs, as they are the proven money makers for the airline. If I give any business a lot of revenue, I expect better treatment than someone who patronizes a business once a year.

As for Rule 240, most Rule 240s state clearly that the airlines are not required to compensate passengers in any way in the event of strikes, bad weather, or other incidents called "force majeure" in legal terms.

 

[bicker]

Rule 240 doesn't actually exist as a regulation anymore. Each airline has their own rules now, and many of them still call it Rule 240. However, they're not consistent, and some airlines promise nothing more than to carry you to your destination only on their own flights, on the next flight where they have available seats in your fare class. On the other extreme, some airlines will generously try to accommodate you on other airline's flights. It really just depends on which airline you're flying and how crowded flights are.