A holiday flight hit by a thunderstorm

This holiday season, there have been severe thunderstorms – not snow or ice – that have proved to be a major obstacle for millions of travelers heading to airports.

And there may be more problems.

Stormy weather battered air travel Thursday at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), the nation’s second-busiest airport — and led to increased delays at nearby Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) and south of Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. (IAH). ).

At DFW, nearly half of all departing flights were delayed Thursday. And more than a fifth of flights have been canceled, as a slow-moving storm system makes many stops during the day.

Help! Here’s what to do if your flight is canceled or delayed

American Airlines, which has its home base in DFW, was hit hard by the severe weather, which caused more than 1,000 flight delays and more than 300 cancellations on Thursday, according to FlightAware data.

Southwest Airlines saw more than 1,600 flights delayed on Thursday, with its bases in Dallas and Houston disrupted by the storms. United Airlines, which has a hub at IAH, also had more than 1,000 flights delayed on Thursday.

The disruption occurred during what was expected to be one of the busiest days of the holiday season at US airports. The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2.7 million passengers on Thursday, and the highest number of travelers could pass through security on Friday and Sunday.

Between the crowds, weather and technology blackouts on Christmas Eve in America, it’s been a more hectic Christmas travel week than travelers enjoyed on a smooth Thanksgiving holiday.

While American quickly recovered from Tuesday morning’s technical problem without canceling a single scheduled flight (though there were still delays), bad weather on Christmas Eve and Thursday made operations difficult at its main DFW hub this week.

As of Friday, the carrier’s operations — and those of other airlines around the country — appeared to be back on track.

However, the conditions may turn sour again this weekend, warns the National Weather Service. Severe storms are possible in parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama on Saturday – and there is a chance that severe conditions could affect travel on the East Coast later this weekend.

“Sunday’s weather is likely to have the most significant impact on travelers over the weekend, with potential major disruptions to coastal traffic on the East Coast. Thunderstorms in high-use air corridors from Florida to Virginia could cause route diversions,” NOAA National Aviation Meteorologist Wes Adkins. we told TPG on Friday. .

Overall, airlines enjoyed a much smoother year in operations than 2022, which left travelers with far more memories of airline meltdowns – marked by Southwest Airlines’ holiday performance that year.

Airlines often point to a 12-year high in staffing, along with other operational improvements, as the key to getting their programs back on track when problems arise.

But as this week has shown, Mother Nature can always throw a challenge at travelers’ best-laid plans — as is the case with half of the 20 million passengers who have passed through airports this holiday season, as of late. a week.

Now, with tens of millions more passengers expected at airports between now and next weekend, here’s what you need to know when you travel.

Know your refund rights

Under US Department of Transportation policy, if your flight is canceled or significantly delayed and you choose not to travel, you’re entitled to a refund for the unfilled portion of your trip — and that goes even for flights disrupted by weather.

But, remember, the “no choice part” is key: if you accept rebooking or other accommodations, you may not be able to get a refund.

However, if the flight disruption affects your travel plans to the extent that you would like to stay put or take an alternative mode of transport (including traveling on another airline) the refund can be useful.

Read more: Flight canceled or delayed? Here’s what to do next

What about food vouchers, or other compensation?

Airlines have imposed substantial guarantees on food, hotel and ground travel expenses for stranded passengers. You can find those promises at FlightRights.gov.

A caveat here: these promises are for “manageable” disruptions that are ultimately the airline’s responsibility. Bad weather, in general, does not fall under that category.

A credit card with travel insurance can help

This is where a credit card with travel insurance can help you recover unexpected expenses that arise in the event of a flight problem. Just remember: in most cases, to successfully apply, you must have booked travel with that card.

Read more: 10 best credit cards with travel insurance for December 2024

Watch your airline’s app closely

Finally, always stick to your airline’s app if you expect a flight delay, and certainly if you experience a problem.

Often times, airlines will offer rebooking options through the app, allowing you to make changes to your booking with a few taps of your finger – instead of waiting in a long line, or picking up the phone.

Related reading: