HOW OFTEN do Airlines Cancel Flights?

[Tina G]

After reading a few threads about people's flights getting cancelled, it got me thinking and wondering, how often do flights get cancelled? I have tickets purchased thru US Air for a May trip and both the departing flight and return flight show less than half booked. It's still 3 months and hopefully the flights will fill up but I've planned a lot based on the times of these flights and would hate to be in a bind. What happens if they cancel your flight that you've already paid for? Do they have to rebook you on a similar flight for the price you already paid or is what you paid out the window and now you must pay the going rate? Any input is greatly appreciated!

 

[seashoreCM]

I am guessing that one in four flights arrives more than 15 minutes late. One in fifty is cancelled.

If your flight is cancelled, they must honor your existing ticket on another reasonable flight with unsold seats at the time you attempt to rebook and in the same section of the plane, or refund your money, your choice. If the cancellation occurs after you arrive at the airport, a few airlines will give you a first class seat on an alternate flight if coach is full, or rebook you on a different airline.

If the cancellation occurs in advance, usually they will use some artificial intelligence and rebook you automatically. For a change more than a few hours they should switch you at your request to a different more convenient flight with unsold seats at no charge.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[dvc guy]

Cancellations the dame day or a few days in advance happen less then you may think. Even if your flight is only 1/2 full the plane needs to get to the next location to make another run and so on. If they cancel that fight the rest of the schedule comes apart.

Most airlines review flight schedules to see if the planes are being used to the best potential. Changes like this happen a few months in advance. The bottom line is there is nothing you can do about it. I would review the reservation every few days to make sure they did not make a change and not tell you.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Sometimes people on this board are concerned about a flight cancellation. They see a particular flight, on a particular day, with many unassigned and presumably unsold seats. So they think that particular flight will be cancelled. That's unlikely to happen.

Also, when people look at seat assignment maps 3 or 4 months before the flight date, they're not taking into account that most people don't book as early as they do.

A scheduled flight with an occasional light load in one direction will operate as scheduled, except under unusual circumstances. For example, if a terrible weather condition somewhere in the country prevents inbound aircraft from arriving at a hub airport, then an airline may reassign aircraft to the flights that make the most sense to operate, based on passenger load. Normally, however, a flight will operate as scheduled, even if the passenger load is lighter than average.

If a given scheduled flight fails to produce a sufficient financial yield consistently — day after day, month after month — then an airline is likely to drop the flight (or even the route) from their schedule.

I wouldn't worry about the passenger load based on a seat map for a flight 3 months from now. Most of my flights to Orlando show as nearly empty 3 months out, but are full on the day of the flight.

A separate issue is that the legacy airlines adjust their schedules far more often than one would think. Delta seems to the worst. Sometimes the change only involves a few minutes or a different aircraft type. But sometimes the change can mean that connections no longer work or that there is no longer service at the time of day that you had been ticketed for.

 

[Lewisc]

I've planned a lot based on the times of these flights and would hate to be in a bind.

Airlines make schedule changes. One poster was upset because he was subject to a 4 hour schedule change. The airline will put you in the closest flight with availability. If the change is long enough the airline might offer you a refund.

Schedules change, flights get delayed due to weather and mechanical issues. You really shouldn't be planning things that can't be changed if your flight gets delayed a few hours. Unless I had morning flight I wouldn't schedule any dinner ADRs that I'd have a problem missing.

The airline won't cancel a flight at the last minute just because the flight is empty, that plane is needed at the destination airport BUT if the airline is short a plane due to weather or mechanical issues they might pull the plane off the half filled flight and use it to replace an unavailable plane for a full flight. Once the decision is which flight has to be canceled the situation changes. Airlines won't automatically cancel the flight with missing equipment.

 

[lila]

I fly several times a week for work, all different routes and airlines, but often Orlando routes. I have had exactly one flight cancelled in the last 100 flights/year (2 weeks ago - NWA, LGA-DTW on a Monday night). Very uncommon in my personal experience. In that case, it was due to a crew timing out.

 

[CarolA]

A lot of the "cancellation" threads are actually schedule changes. That's actually different. A cancellation is generally the day of or very close to the flight and MOST of these are weather realted. So if there is a storm in the NE for example, the number spikes! But on on a normal day not that many. I flew DL today. On the LONG list of Delta flights at ATL this afternoon I don't recall seeing any "cancels"