Flight delays and cancellations are the Achilles’ heel of air travelers, annoying inconveniences exacerbated by airlines that are not always forthright about what they will or can do for stranded passengers.
Although no federal law mandates specific remedies for delayed or canceled flights, airlines offer an assortment of “amenities” from securing seats on their next flight or that of another airline, to free or discounted hotel rooms, meals, phone calls and other services.
The difficulty is determining what is available, when and to whom — a shell game for already inconvenienced passengers.
Even when airlines do provide various courtesies, they don’t always meet passenger needs. A few years ago, Christopher Lydon, a senior management consultant in San Francisco, was returning home from a New Jersey business trip when his connecting United Airlines flight in Chicago was delayed because of a heavy snowstorm.
Scheduled to leave at 1 p.m., the flight was held up, then finally canceled at 5 p.m. By that time no hotel rooms were available near the airport. Several more hours passed before passengers were herded aboard a bus for a 45-minute ride to what Lydon describes as the “motel from hell”: ugly and dilapidated. At this point the passengers rebelled, refusing to get off the bus.
After the bus driver made numerous phone calls, the bus eventually arrived at a second motel at 10 p.m. This motel, Lydon said, was only marginally better. Things did not improve the next morning when the airline’s bus arrived late at the motel; Lydon and the other passengers missed their early morning flights.
Responding to this incident, a United Airlines spokesman, Tony Molinaro, apologized for the problems Lydon experienced but noted that when a snowstorm hits Chicago, there are hundreds or thousands of people looking for hotel rooms.
“We just have a list,” Molinaro said, “and we call and call until we find rooms. After a bad snowstorm there can be horrible street conditions and bad traffic. We try to do the best we can, but in some circumstances it’s pretty tough.”
Although Lydon’s horror story may be an anomaly, most stranded passengers experience some modicum of irritation, and have no idea what services they have a right to demand or request. The fine print on the back of an airline ticket offers no assistance, and gate agents often seem empowered to make decisions only on a passenger-by-passenger basis.
But limited guidelines do exist. Known officially as Conditions of Carriage, and incorporated by reference in every airline ticket, these conditions are actually part of the contract between each passenger and the airline. This document, available through airline ticket offices and consumer relations departments lists the minimum services each airline agrees to provide when a flight is delayed or canceled. These, in turn, are interpreted, and sometimes expanded, through an airline’s unpublished, internal guidelines.
Although there are significant differences in what each airline offers stranded passengers, there are some consistencies. Among nine U.S. carriers — America West, American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest, TWA, United and USAir — most offer the same services to domestic and international passengers; provide extra amenities to unaccompanied minors, elderly passengers and those with disabilities; offer no monetary compensation for delayed or canceled flights and no services to stand-by passengers; and never permit stranded passengers to use an airline’s special members-only clubs.
Benefits are usually reserved for passengers delayed while waiting for a connecting flight or after being diverted for an unscheduled stop. If you are at your hometown, destination or at a scheduled stopover, you are on your own. In addition, if the delay is caused by something beyond the airline’s control, such as weather or air traffic control problems, usually you will receive no services.
A notable exception is Delta Airlines, which treats all delays and cancellations the same, regardless of their cause.
Airlines also differ in how they inform stranded passengers of available or optional services.
The most pronounced contrasts between airlines can be found in the individual services they offer stranded passengers. America West, American and USAir provide the same services to all stranded passengers whether they hold Coach or First-class tickets; others offer First-class passengers additional amenities. Some airlines occasionally offer delayed passengers additional frequent flier miles or travel vouchers.
Even within these general guidelines, and noting the blanket exceptions, sometimes only the most assertive passengers will actually obtain the amenities. If you want something, ask for it.
If it’s denied, amble over to the ticket counter, request a full text copy of the airline’s Conditions of Carriage, then settle down for a long tedious browse.
Gate agents are the final on-site arbiters, free to offer consolation prizes or not. The possibilities include:
Seats on the airline’s next flight: Airlines will first try to book delayed or canceled passengers on their next flight, in which case you are generally entitled to a direct (no stops) flight to your destination.
Seats on other airlines: Some airlines will never book stranded passengers on another carrier, others do so routinely. If your flight is delayed or canceled for any reason, Delta will book you on the next available flight, theirs or that of another carrier. If there is time to reach you before you leave for the airport (make sure your contact phone numbers are part of your ticket record), Delta will make this offer by telephone.
Ground transportation: If a flight is delayed, canceled or diverted to an airport near your destination airlines will often provide free ground transportation to your destination.
Hotels: Most airlines provide hotel rooms to stranded connecting passengers, and to travelers who have been diverted to an unscheduled stop, when the delay is the airline’s fault and either exceeds 4 hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., or extends past the last flight of the day. Accommodations are offered either free or at a “distressed traveler’s rate,” with free ground transportation. The exceptions include Northwest, which offers hotel rooms only in its hub cities; Southwest, which seldom offers rooms, and TWA, which makes decisions based only on each passenger’s needs. Delta’s Contract of Carriage establishes a two-tier system: First-class passengers have fewer hurdles to clear before being eligible for hotel rooms.
When weather causes the delay, most airlines do not provide hotel rooms.
Meals: If an airline provides a hotel room it generally includes one or two meals, depending upon your arrival and departure times. Vouchers are generally for a stated amount.
Long-distance phone calls: Delayed passengers are rarely, if ever, told that they have the right to a long-distance phone call. But upon request, most airlines will provide a single, three- to five-minute, station-to-station call within the continental United States. Some airlines provide phone cards, others let you use their phones, and a few offer telegrams as an alternative.
