Flight cancellations

[codycpreston]

What is everyone’s thought about how flights will be end of February? I’m very concerned because my airline, Southwest keeps cancelling flights. Should I get a delta ticket that’s a direct flight?

 

[EACarlson]

Delta has been cancelling a lot more flights lately than SW has. It's really a crap shoot, the best advice to have right now is to know what all of your options are if your flight gets cancelled, and use a CC that has good trip interruption and trip delay protection. I'm flying in three weeks on SW and I'm not concerned.

 

[DebbieB]

I think it will settle down.

 

[MrKnight]

Which airport are you flying out of?

 

[codycpreston]

Which airport are you flying out of?

Salt Lake City, to Denver, to Orlando.

 

[MrKnight]

Salt Lake City, to Denver, to Orlando.

I would strongly recommend booking a direct flight, on either Delta or Jetblue. Both airlines fly direct non-stop from SLC to MCO (in addition to Southwest).. Delta would probably be the safest bet as SLC is a hub for Delta and hence there is a higher volume of flights available and hence a significantly lower chance that you will not have an alternative same-day option in the event of cancellations.

 

[_19disnA]

Hard to say at this point. Covid isn't going to magically vanish by February and I suspect airline employee absenteeism will continue to be an issue. Bad weather can impact flight schedules this time of year in places that get snow. Most airlines operate through a hub system, so bad weather in one part of the country can disrupt travel even in places that aren't having bad weather.

Airlines have also been more proactive in recent years of cancelling flights ahead of major weather events, even before covid was an issue. This avoids getting large numbers of people stuck at some airport and the associated logistical issues of getting airplanes back into the system once the bad weather ends. This time of year, Salt Lake City & Denver are more likely to have weather issues compared to Orlando, but a disruption of any kind could affect many flights.

Direct and non-stop are two different things. Non-stop mean you go to your intended destination without any stops. I prefer non-stop when that option exists. If a non-stop flight gets cancelled, you simply go back home and try the next time the flight is offered. To me that is preferable to getting stuck at an airport along the way. Direct flights have one (or more) stops which can add significantly to your travel time. Getting stuck at a connecting airport is no fun since there are generally a limited number of on-site hotel rooms and everyone who is stuck there is also looking for a place to stay.

 

[EACarlson]

Direct and non-stop are two different things. Non-stop mean you go to your intended destination without any stops. I prefer non-stop when that option exists. If a non-stop flight gets cancelled, you simply go back home and try the next time the flight is offered. To me that is preferable to getting stuck at an airport along the way. Direct flights have one (or more) stops which can add significantly to your travel time. Getting stuck at a connecting airport is no fun since there are generally a limited number of on-site hotel rooms and everyone who is stuck there is also looking for a place to stay.

That's not quite right, while non-stop and direct are two different things, they aren't completely different. All non-stops are directs, not all directs are non-stops. The only airline I'm aware of that still operates directs that aren't non-stops domestically is Southwest.

 

[jadejazzkayla]

A nonstop flight take you from one airport to another without stopping.

A direct flight means that the flight number doesn’t change, but the aircraft will make one or more stops.

 

[sam_gordon]

I'm a little concerned because I have a flight from Louisville to Chicago to Philly to Tampa. I'm concerned more about the weather than anything, but
A) Hopefully the storm that came through yesterday took all the "energy" out of things (yes, I know it doesn't work that way, but I can hope)
B) Chicago & Philly know how to handle weather.

 

[MrKnight]

I'm a little concerned because I have a flight from Louisville to Chicago to Philly to Tampa. I'm concerned more about the weather than anything, but
A) Hopefully the storm that came through yesterday took all the "energy" out of things (yes, I know it doesn't work that way, but I can hope)
B) Chicago & Philly know how to handle weather.

Two layovers for a domestic trip seems very unreasonable and unnecessary, especially considering that three different airlines offer direct non-stop flights between Louisville and Tampa (Southwest, Breeze, and Spirit) and they are all lower-cost carriers.

 

[sam_gordon]

Two layovers for a domestic trip seems very unreasonable and unnecessary, especially considering that three different airlines offer direct non-stop flights between Louisville and Tampa (Southwest, Breeze, and Spirit) and they are all lower-cost carriers.

That is Southwest. And I got the tix for $50pp. Wouldn't normally be my first choice, but trying to save $$$.

 

[MrKnight]

That is Southwest. And I got the tix for $50pp. Wouldn't normally be my first choice, but trying to save $$$.

Considering that Southwest offers a direct flight from Louisville to Orlando, I would recommend contacting the airline and finding out the cost variance to switch to the direct flight.. The fact that an airline would force you to layover in two different cities when they offer a direct flight is mind blowing, I would certainly recommend contacting the airline.

 

[_19disnA]

A nonstop flight take you from one airport to another without stopping.

A direct flight means that the flight number doesn’t change, but the aircraft will make one or more stops.

I agree and that was my point earlier. Those who are inexperienced travelers may not grasp the difference. Attempts to make them sound similar are usually intended to confuse those who don't travel often. Always a good idea to check out the itinerary when booking any airline ticket.

 

[sam_gordon]

Considering that Southwest offers a direct flight from Louisville to Orlando, I would recommend contacting the airline and finding out the cost variance to switch to the direct flight.. The fact that an airline would force you to layover in two different cities when they offer a direct flight is mind blowing, I would certainly recommend contacting the airline.

And that direct flight is at 5:30AM. And it's an extra $50pp. No thank you. What I will do when we check our suitcases is see if they can change our flights gratis so we go from Chicago to Tampa without the Philly stop.