On the surface, the US Department of Transportation’s recent unveiling of a new online consumer “dashboard” for air travelers appeared to give passengers some hope. For the first time, consumers can readily view and compare the policies of ten of the largest airlines in the United States in the event of a flight delay or cancellation.
This appears to be beneficial in theory. When a delay or cancellation required passengers to spend the night in a place where they didn’t live, and the problem was directly the airline’s fault — a missing crew member, a mechanical issue, or a delayed incoming flight — the main airlines agreed to offer a meal and a hotel for the night. If they are unable to do so, they will compensate you.
The key exemption where airlines are exempt: weather-related delays or cancellations, which are beyond their control.
However, the devil is in the details — specifically, the fine print of each airline’s contract of carriage and publicized consumer regulations. A closer look at each airline’s rules indicates that securing that hotel room or meal — or “compensation” if the accommodation isn’t available — may not be so simple.
What exactly is “fair” pay?
Here are the difficulties.
In many circumstances, the onus is on you to demonstrate that the airline can, in fact, provide you with a hotel room. When the airline is unable to provide enough rooms, the compensation they offer you may not even come close to covering the cost of a hotel room found on your own.
It all comes down to what the airline considers “fair” compensation, which varies every airline. Anything under $200 may be approved by United. However, Delta has a $100 cap and currently does not pay cash, only vouchers for future flights. Other airlines, like as American, do not recognize a set number or restriction.
Furthermore, even if a room is available, don’t expect a full-service hotel or one located near the airport. Most of the time, you’ll check into a low-cost, no-frills hotel where the airline has pre-negotiated a low-rate agreement for a block of rooms.
At Orlando International Airport, passengers examine a display board that shows cancelled and delayed flights. Getty Images/Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket
When an airline is at fault, offering meal vouchers or a hotel stay is nothing new. Airlines have been doing this for years, but only on a case-by-case basis, and often only for their most valued frequent passengers. Until now, there was no guarantee that if you were flying in the back of the plane, the airline would take care of you.
Again, it comes down to terminology and how airlines interpret the phrase “controllable delays.”
And don’t expect the airlines to donate your rights just because the specific carrier policies are now displayed on the DOT Airline Customer Service Dashboard. You must first become acquainted with them before alerting the airline if your flight is delayed or canceled.
What about weather-related delays?
Then there’s the complex and frequently misleading definition of “weather.” How many times have you arrived at your departure airport in lovely weather just to be informed that your flight has been delayed or canceled due to weather? Then you phone a friend at your destination and discover that the weather is also fantastic there.
So, is the airline deceiving you?
The airline is usually speaking the truth, but they haven’t put the weather information into right context. Closer to your arrival time, airline weather forecasters may see a storm front heading towards your destination airport, and they may refuse to release your flight because they are concerned you may have to divert to an alternate airport.
Alternatively, the weather may already be at the place from which the plane allocated to your trip is departing. Another variable is the weather at intermediate airports and connecting flights.
One key tip: phone the airline before leaving for the airport. In three different areas, inquire about the weather. Your departing airport’s weather. The weather at your destination airport, for the approximate time of your arrival there. And, if you’re connecting, the weather at the destination airport.