What happens when your flight gets cancelled due to weather ?

[DVCindy]

We are leaving from Newark on Delta tomorrow 7AM.

Just checked todays flight status for the same flight we are booked on for tomorrow and it shows cancelled.

Called Delta and they said it was a weather related equipment delay due to severe thunderstorms on the East Coast.

I'm worried this may happen to us on tomorrow mornings flight also because there are thunderstorms forecasted again for today/tonight.

What happens if they cancel a flight due to weather ?

Do they really call you ahead of time ?

How do they put you on another flight when just about every flight is sold out or even oversold ?

I certainly am hoping for the best but I have no idea what to expect if this does happen ... can anyone help ?

Thanks ! Cindy

 

[safetymom]

They would try to get you out on the first available flight even if its another carrier.

Some tips.

Check before you would leave tomorrow. That way you wouldn't need to go to the airport. Call the airlines 800 number and have them book you on another flight.

I wouldn't depend on them trying to reach you. Just keep checking today so in case of cancellation you have plenty of time to have them book you another flight.

If you get to the airport tomorrow and they cancel don't run to the ticket counter. Call the 800 number. You will be ahead of all those in the line and will get your flight changed faster.

 

[CarolA]

It happens and Safteymom is right DON'T depend on them calling you. However, when I call my flight is ALWAYS on time. (Yesterday's on time finally took off 2 hours late!) The airlines HATE to admit that they are going to be late so they wait until the LAST minute to change it. (I have been standing in airports 30 minutes after boarding and seen the flight disappear off the board since they never updated the computer that we were delayed!

I agree with her, call the 800 number or if you booked thru a TA call them. However, it is pretty rare that it happens two days in a row. Today's flight may have actually been overflow from yesterday's weather (Atlanta got hit HARD) and they should be back on schedule by tomorrow.

 

[safetymom]

CarolA, I have had that happen to me several times. The last time the flight was delayed they didn't announce until after the time we should have left. When we finally got on the plane we were delayed again because there was a suitcase on board but not the passenger to go with it. After paging him several times they had to go through all the baggage and pull out his suitcase which delayed us another 1 1/2 hours. I thought I was never going to get to MCO.

 

[pnelson]

I know I've been tracking my Delta flight to seem how often it is late (I have a close connection) The last week it has been late every day? This is going from California to Atlanta-Has there been bad weather in that part of the country?

 

[seashoreCM]

Many airlines owe you nothing more than a refund if the cancellation is due to weather. But most airlines will try to rebook you on a later flight of their own.

When talking to an agent either in person or on the phone, do not say the phrase "Rule 240" unless the agent first specifically asks what rule you are refering to. Rule 240 varies from one airline to another and takes care of delays and cancellations. The airline must accommodate you according to its Rule 240 even though its own Rule 110 or 102 or something like that does not cover the situation.

If the first flight in the morning is cancelled, usually it is because the plane that is supposed to fly it did not make it in the previous night.

I don't know whether any airline has ever played this dirty trick: You call ahead of time and they say your flight is cancelled. You go to the airport on time anyway and the plane that is supposed to be yours is ready and waiting and the gate area is crowded. Except a new flight number with your same departure time was invented for that plane so they could fly out passengers cancelled from the day before.

I don't know the URL of Rules Of The Air which shows most airlines' Rule 240's but there is a subordinate clickable linke here:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/travel.htm

 

[DVCindy]

Thank you for the replies !!!

I would not have thought to call the 800 number from the airport if we get cancelled - I would have of course run right to the ticket counter in a panic like everyone else !!! Thanks so much !

I'm keeping an eye on the weather ... and I think I have figured out which flight has to leave Orlando tonight to get the plane to Newark for the 7AM flight tomorrow... I'm keeping an eye on that , too !


Cindy

 

[CarolA]

Atlanta had HORRIBLE weather yestereday. Major wind damage, huge old trees down etc. So the airport was a disaster. Just flew back from there and things appeared to be much closer to normal today.

 

[mcnuss]

I'm keeping an eye on the weather ... and I think I have figured out which flight has to leave Orlando tonight to get the plane to Newark for the 7AM flight tomorrow... I'm keeping an eye on that , too !

I hate to be the spoiler, but your flight may not be the one that came from MCO tonight. It could have come from anywhere, really.

We had people stuck all over the East Coast yesterday. I postponed my departure from BOS to LGA bc I had heard that flights were 5+ hours delayed. Good thing I did. One of my colleagues was headed to Raleigh, NC and got diverted to Norfolk. Another one of my colleagues spent 7 hours at DCA. For once, I was home snug in my bed, and my flight this morning was on time.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you carry a cell, it's a good idea to put the 800 numbers of any airline, car service, car rental firm, or hotel chain that you ever use into the memory. Not just for WDW travel, but permanently.

If your flight is cancelled, it starts a whole chain reaction with regard to other services you had planned to use. If you don't notify them of the delay, you may get in at 3 am, only to discover that there are no rental cars available (or the desk is closed), and that your hotel room has been sold to someone else.

With the numbers programmed into your cell phone, it's much easier to contact everyone you need to, without having to scramble to look up phone numbers.

 

[alexturner74]

Looks like Cindy's flight left on time this morning. Although not always the case, the aircraft did in fact come from MCO yesterday.

 

[safetymom]

alexturner74, thanks for the update. Glad to hear that her flight wasn't cancelled.