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Travelers wait to check in at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) International Terminal in San Francisco, California, United States, Monday, June 13, 2022. Credit: David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Summer vacation is back, if you can make it happen, of course. As growing demand for flights faces a severe shortage of workers in the aviation industry, delayed and cancelled flights are taking a toll on the system. Add to that the general seasonal turbulence of summer thunderstorms and the shortage of pilots that preceded the pandemic, and you have a recipe for disaster.
On average, about 3% of flights in the U. S. they have been cancelled since the beginning of the year, according to flight-tracking company FlightAware. On Memorial Day weekend, about 5 percent of scheduled flights in the U. S. On the weekend of June 16, 6% of flights were canceled, according to Kathleen Bangs, a spokeswoman for FlightAware.
As the summer travel season heats up, it is becoming increasingly difficult for airlines to meet the demand of travelers who are making up for time lost by the pandemic. The Transportation Security Administration has screened at least 2 million passengers per day since early June, and traffic at some U. S. airports has been in the U. S. The U. S. has already surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
If you’re making plans to fly somewhere by the 4th of July or later this summer, here’s what you want to know.
Your most productive chance of avoiding, or at least mitigating, disruption to your plans comes when you book your trip online.
If you surely have to be somewhere at a certain time this summer, get out a day early. “If your arrival time at your destination is urgent, you’ll probably plan an extra day as a cushion,” says Paul Hudson, president of the advocacy organization. FlyersRights. org.
While airlines are more lenient with flight adjustments than before the pandemic, the emerging charge of airline tickets can make a lower-tier economy class price ticket tempting. But those price tickets are the maximum likely to come with restrictions.
If you can, opt for an airline that has only one flight to your destination or doesn’t have any daily flights, as is the case with many very cheap airlines. Agreements with other airlines to accommodate stranded passengers.
Booking the flight as soon as possible can help you avoid some of the chaos. Delays trigger a chain reaction that leaks into the system, making afternoon and evening flights more likely to take off late or be canceled altogether.
“Fly earlier in the day if you can imagine because delays pile up throughout the day and there are fewer features as the day progresses,” says Gary Leff, a writer for Viewfromthewing. com, a site committed to travel deals and loyalty programs.
If possible, take a direct flight instead of a connecting flight. If you want to book a connecting flight electronically, make a longer layover than usual. Leff suggests an hour, at a minimum. And keep your carry-on luggage. If you want to replace the flights, at least you will have something to put on after landing.
If you are stuck in a literal, figurative waiting pattern, check the forecast. “People are still very unaware of the weather. Look at what the weather will be like,” Bangs says.
If there are storms reaching the past prevention point of your aircraft, check the status of the aircraft. If you leave Chicago, for example, and see that your aircraft is still grounded in Atlanta 20 minutes before its scheduled departure, you have a reduced amount of time to put a plan B into effect.
If it is not urgent, the way to resist less is to book the first flight of this airline to its destination the next day. If potentially disruptive weather situations are expected, most airlines will proactively offer travelers the option to rebook without penalty.
If you have an absolute obligation, book a relief ticket by email. “You can’t do it on the same airline, but you can make a reservation on your favorite airline and on ‘Airline B,’ buy a refundable ticket,” Hudson says.
Yes, it’s not the best solution: if the flight you like takes off smoothly, you may find yourself paying for any of the tickets until the refund is processed.
But if the flight you had planned to take is cancelled, you can still stop where you want to go and get a refund for the cancelled flight. If you are using your ransom price ticket to reach your destination, do not cancel your original one-way flight in case you end up taking off. If it is documented as not presented, the airline will most likely cancel your ticket with return price.
Waiting online, or waiting, to speak with a visitor service representative is fine, but you can also use that time to pay for and book your flight yourself through the airline’s online page or app. If you are hoping to be able to communicate with a genuine person, all seats for the next flight, or the next, would possibly have already been taken.
“The challenge is getting assistance when things go wrong, because there may not be enough staff to help you, and then with the planes regularly full, there are typically not many flight functions to adapt,” Leff says. the mercy of the airline. “
Hudson also suggests his organization’s hotline, which he says can provide stranded travelers with greater contact with the airline’s visitor service that is publicly available.
In some cases, airlines are required by law to reimburse travelers, but there are some caveats and you want to be prepared to protect yourself.
If an airline cancels your flight and you don’t need the rebooking option they’re offering you, the tsa is unequivocal: you can and they will refund your cash. Airlines can offer you a coupon, but you don’t have to settle for it.
But you might have to be persistent, Hudson warns.
“There have been massive challenges related to refunds,” he says, citing the Department of Transportation’s knowledge showing that court cases involving refunds increased from 321 in the first quarter of 2019 to 5684 around the same time in 2022, a jump of about 17 times. “There’s a big challenge evident there,” Hudson says.
When it comes to delays, things can get complicated. That’s because the TSA says travelers are entitled to a refund if the airline implements a “significant” delay or schedule change, but doesn’t outline the precise parameters of what’s “significant. “which constitutes.
Policies vary, but in general, you’re more likely to succeed in getting reimbursement for food and lodging if you get stuck overnight due to an airline-related issue, such as equipment shortages. European airlines are more generous thanks to the EU’s flight refund regulation. However, if you are stuck due to bad weather, domestic airlines do not provide you with hotel rooms or food vouchers.
“But it hurts to ask,” Bangs says. Have good manners and see what you can get. “