What happens when one flight a day gets cancelled?

[branv]

Only two airlines out of Austin fly non-stop to MCO -- Southwest and JetBlue. Southwest offers no issues, but I noticed that Jetblue only offers just one flight a day from AUS-MCO and one between MCO-AUS.

So what happens if mechanical or weather issues force that flight to be cancelled? They can't just push everyone to the next day's flight obviously. Do they just say, "Tough noogies, you figure it out", do they pull another plane into service to make up for it, or attempt to book you on another airline?

It's a head scratcher

 

[bicker]

While rebooking is clearly very difficult given how little excess capacity there is in the system, it is still not impossible. Generally, in the scenario you outline, you'll be rebooked, perhaps connecting through another city if necessary.

 

[seashoreCM]

I think that specifically Jetblue, Southwest and Airtran do not book you on another airline (even among themselves) or if they do it is very rare.

 

[DebbieB]

Do they have flights to other cities that you could connect through (like JFK)? They typically don't pull another plane out of service in a non-hub city, you have standby until there's an open seat.

 

[uva185]

They will confirm you on the next available flight. They could offer you a connection or if that is unavailable they can confirm you on a flight on a different day. During peak travel times it is not uncommon for an airline to confirm you on a flight several days later.

 

[branv]

Oy, scary answers! Will definitely scratch Jetblue off my list then, especially since that particular route is always the same price as Southwest, so most assuredly not worth the risk. Thanks for the heads up!

Although, could be a compelling reason to book them coming back. Oh darn, you mean I have to stay longer in Orlando?! The horror!

 

[uva185]

Oy, scary answers! Will definitely scratch Jetblue off my list then, especially since that particular route is always the same price as Southwest, so most assuredly not worth the risk. Thanks for the heads up!

Although, could be a compelling reason to book them coming back. Oh darn, you mean I have to stay longer in Orlando?! The horror!

I don't think Jet Blue is any riskier than Southwest. Neither can book you on a different airline if a problem arises. Jet Blue has fewer flights, but that also means they have fewer passengers to contend with when a problem arises.

All that said I don't think you should worry too much. I have been flying over 100k miles per year since 2004 and I have never had a flight problem that bumped me to a flight on a different day (unless I volunteered). Connections are not the worst thing in the world if it gets you to your destination the same day.

 

[MAH4546]

Oy, scary answers! Will definitely scratch Jetblue off my list then, especially since that particular route is always the same price as Southwest, so most assuredly not worth the risk. Thanks for the heads up!

Although, could be a compelling reason to book them coming back. Oh darn, you mean I have to stay longer in Orlando?! The horror!

Southwest and JetBlue are the same deal here.

If you are worried about a canceled flight, book one of the major carriers like American or Delta. They have agreements with each other to endorse tickets, so if your flight is canceled, you are endorsed on another airline on your original routing (although via a different connecting hub).

Southwest and JetBlue have no such agreements.

Also, honestly, the risk of the flight getting canceled is so slim, just book the airline you prefer.

 

[sue1013]

This happened to me at Newark on JetBlue. There was only one flight a day to Fort Myers. There was some kind of mechanical problem with the plane we were on the tarmac and had to go back to the terminal. After about 2 hours JetBlue decided they couldn't fix the plane they brought another over from JFK.

 

[bballmom56]

All that said I don't think you should worry too much. I have been flying over 100k miles per year since 2004 and I have never had a flight problem that bumped me to a flight on a different day (unless I volunteered). Connections are not the worst thing in the world if it gets you to your destination the same day.

We fly a whole lot less (an average of less than 1 flight per year) and that happened to us coming back from WDW in 2005. We were on the old Delta partner called Song. Our non-stop flight kept getting pushed later and later due to weather. Then we were told they needed another crew because it was so much later the original crew was over on their hours. They couldn't get another crew, so the flight was cancelled and we were stuck at MCO until the next morning.

Delta did give us a voucher for lodging and food. The flight we were able to get on the next day had to change planes in Atlanta. My DH, 2 kids and I were all sitting separately and all had middle seats, but it was our only option to get back and we HAD to get back. It was definitely not a fun trip back, but I realize things happen that are out of the control of the airlines.

 

[bavaria]

Giving out compensation and hotel vouchers for weather is NOT the norm and nobody should expect it (unless they have top tier status)

This is the risk of flying with an airline which does not interline, or of flying a charter. Many people only look at 'cost', not 'value'. They have limited options to rebook passengers, hence the delays of a day or more that are sometimes reported.

I encounter irregular ops quite often but I fly carriers which are part of a massive alliance and which have interline agreements. Flying out of MSY for the first year after Katrina often meant irregular ops but often UA rebooked me on AA for instance, even though they are not alliance partners.

 

[bballmom56]

I believe the reason they compensated us for the lodging (had to pay up front and file for reimbursement later) was the fact they didn't have a crew to fly the plane, not the weather. The weather had cleared, the plane was there, but they did not have a fresh crew. The weather was just the initial reason for the delay. I don't know if that makes a difference in compensation or not.

 

[bicker]

It probably came down to compensation as an alternative to giving you a refund.

 

[BigTigger]

Your question is a valid one that many travelers do not even think about. I always look at schedule alternatives in case of weather with JB or SWA. It helps that my home destination (BOS) is very close to their main JB hub (JFK) and that SWA has three gateways near me (BOS, PVD, and MAN), but it's always helpful to know how many different ways they could get me to/from MCO, TPA, or JAX if my original flights are cancelled or delayed. Even legacy carriers with sharing agreements like Delta won't suggest a routing through a non-hub city (Atlanta primarily) unless you suggest it as an alternative.

 

[crashbb]

The answer will be very different if it is a weather issue versus a mechanical issue. Much easier with a mechanical issue (which, generally, only involves one plane/fight) versus a weather issue (which can involve multiple cities/airports).

 

[Detailor]

A mechanical problem on the only Delta flight happened to us one year when we were hoping to fly out of Burlington, VT, to Orlando. So after a short time in the jet we were pulled back to the terminal and de-planed. The resolution was that the airline offered to load everybody into vans and take us to Boston (about 210 miles away) for an afternoon flight.
I decided that I'd rather drive down to Boston myself and had them book my family on a mid-day flight from Boston. We were leaving Boston on our flight when the vans were supposed to get there from Vermont.
So maybe there are other alternatives like sending you out of a different airport - Houston - in order to get you on your way.

Dick Taylor

 

[uva185]

We fly a whole lot less (an average of less than 1 flight per year) and that happened to us coming back from WDW in 2005.

You jinxed me!!

I had my first overnight delay today. I was scheduled to fly DCA-PHL-SJU. A 50 minute delay leaving DCA caused me to miss the connection to SJU (the last flight out). They re-booked me on a flight tomorrow PHL-SJU and wanted me to pay for my own hotel in PHL even though I have top tier status with US.

Instead I told them I wanted to fly back to DC tonight (sleep in my own bed), tomorrow I would like to fly DCA-CLT-SJU confirmed in First Class, and I would like to push my return back a day (also confirmed in First Class) so I don't lose any vacation time. Because I was prepared, knew the flight options, and checked availability before asking this was no problem at all for the agent to do!!

Be prepared with your own routings and solutions when problems occur, don't expect the agent to give you the best options!!

 

[bballmom56]

You jinxed me!!

Sorry That is pretty ironic, though.

 

[disneyag]

We fly AUS-MCO all the time on SWA. We've never had a flight cancelled. However, there have been a few times that we've been delayed due to weather. Once, we sat in MCO for 7 hours before the plane to AUS took off. We usually try to fly early in the day. I think that minimizes delays and if weather is an issue, usually other options exist. Also, SWA could route you through Houston, or New Orleans, or several other airports if needed.

 

[branv]

Sorry, I guess I didn't explain myself well enough. I'm not worried about delays/cancellations per se. Things happen. And I only mentioned Southwest specifically b/c it's the only one besides Jetblue that has a direct flight. But Southwest, as well as AA & Cont. have like 4-6 flights a day from AUS-MCO, whereas Jetblue has just one. If there is a flight delay or cancellation due to weather/mechanics, etc odds I knew that at least with Southwest you might stand somewhat of a chance of being moved to one of the later flights that same day, whereas with Jetblue there just were NO other flights that day. I didn't know what would happen when an entire plane full of people lose their flight when there is only one a day -- even the next day you can't put them all on board if they are still just running the one flight. Make sense?