Millions of US citizens will be traveling over the Thanksgiving period, but plans to visit loved ones and eat copious amounts of food could be hampered by flight cancellations or delays as they attempt to cross the country in one of the most busiest holidays for travel.
Weather is not expected to be as mild as it was last year, with winter weather forecast to impact large areas of the country next week.
This Thanksgiving season is expected to the the busiest on record, with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expecting to screen 18.3 million people at US airports over a seven day period – 6 per cent more than last year.
With the TSA predicting that three million people will pass through airport security checkpoints on Sunday, with Tuesday and Wednesday then expected to be the next busiest air travel days across the Thanksgiving period, it is essential that you know your rights if not everything goes to plan.
If your flight is disrupted, there is still a chance that airlines will book you on the next available flight, or if the disruptions are so severe that it prevents you from traveling at all, there are plenty of compensation and commitments offered by US airlines that may make up for missing out on a turkey feast.
Here is everything to know about your rights when flying this Thanksgiving.
What are my compensation rights if my flight has been canceled or delayed?
If your flight is canceled, most airlines will rebook you on the first flight available to your destination at no extra charge.
If this means you are significantly delayed, find out if another carrier has space and ask the first airline if they will endorse your ticket to the other carrier.
However, finding extra seats over holidays and peak travel times, such as Thanksgiving, can get tricky.
Those who booked onto a domestic flight in the US may not be able to receive compensation when their flights are delayed or canceled, as it is not required by law. Only those who are ‘bumped’ from a domestic flight when it has been overbooked are legally required to receive compensation.
On international flights, passengers may be able to get reimbursed under Article 19 of the Montreal Convention, for expenses resulting from a delayed or canceled flight by flight a claim with the airline.
If the claim is denied, you can escalate the matter in court if you believe that the carrier did not take all measures that could reasonably be required to avoid the damages caused by the delay.
What do airlines offer?
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has created a dashboard to show what airlines have committed to in the event that a flight is canceled or delayed. These 10 airlines account for approximately 96 per cent of the domestic scheduled passenger traffic.
If a cancellation or delay was under the airline’s control, such as maintenance or crew problems, cabin cleaning, baggage loading, and fueling, there are certain amenities that passengers can claim. Bad weather is not under the airline’s control so it will not count.
This could include rebooking your flight at no additional cost, meal vouchers if a flight has been delayed for three or more hours, hotel accommodation for overnight cancelations and credit/travel vouchers. However, what is offered will vary by airline.
There are no federal requirements to look after a passenger who is waiting at an airport; each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers.
If you find yourself delayed, speak to airline staff to see if they will pay for meals or a hotel room during the wait.
The DOT, however, warns that some budget carriers that offer very low airfares may not provide any amenities to stranded passengers.
Others may not offer amenities if the cause of delay was beyond their control or not their fault, such as bad weather.
Some flights can get delayed on the airport tarmac before taking off or after landing, but the DOT prohibits most US airlines from allowing a domestic flight to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours unless the pilot is doing this for safety or air traffic control advises that taxiing to the gate could disrupt airport operations.
On both domestic and international flights, US airlines must provide passengers with food and water no later than two hours after the tarmac delay begins.
A traveler who incurs incidental expenses such as a rental car, hotel room, or meals due to a significantly delayed or canceled flight is not entitled to a refund of the incidental expenses.
What are my refund rights if my flight has been canceled or delayed?
An airline’s compensation commitment does not impact your entitlement to a refund.
Regardless of the reason, if an airline cancels a flight it is required to provide a refund, including those with non-refundable tickets, ot if the passenger chooses not to accept the alternative offered, such as rebooking on another flight.
A passenger who chooses not to travel after an airline makes a significant schedule change or significantly delays a flight is also entitled to a refund.
Airlines must automatically issue refunds without passengers having to explicitly request them or jump through hoops, and should be sending out the refunds within seven business days of refunds becoming due for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment methods.
What do if my flight is delayed?
Try and find out how late it will be, but this can sometimes be difficult as airlines estimate how long a delay will be if they are trying to fix an unforeseen issue or the weather is unpredictable.
If your flight is experiencing a lengthy delay, it might be better to arrange another flight, as long as you don’t have to pay a cancellation penalty or a higher fare for changing, the DOT recommends.
While there is no rule requiring them to do this, if you find a flight with another carrier, ask your original airline if it will endorse a new ticket with the alternative airline, as this could save you money.
Government booking advice
The DOT recommends that those who are attending a family function this Thanksgiving to book an earlier flight than they need to to give themselves a little extra leeway.
It says that airline delays aren’t unusual, and planning ahead of time is the best way to try and avoid disruptions.
The DOT adds that when booking your flight, it’s important to remember that a departure earlier in the day is less likely to be delayed than a later flight due to a ripple effect of delays throughout the day.
Earlier flights are also beneficial as if your flight is delayed or canceled, you have more rerouting options throughout the day, whereas if the last flight of the day is canceled, you could get stuck overnight.
Passengers who are booking connecting flights are advised to be wary. The DOt says you should ask yourself what will happen if the first flight is delayed: will there be enough time to still get the second flight and are there other flight options from that destination just in case?
On the flip side, it’s important not to worry too much and stress yourself out over travel plans. Last Thanksgiving, fewer than 400 US flights were canceled during the seven-day period, which is about one of every 450 flights.
So far in 2024, airlines have canceled about 1.3 per cent of all flights.
Getting ‘bumped’
Overbooking a flight is not illegal – it is a business strategy by airlines to compensate for no-shows – but passengers can sometimes be bumped from the flight if the plane is full.
The DOT asks those who are not in a hurry to give up their seats voluntarily, in exchange for compensation.
Those who are bumped against their will are often entitled to compensation and airlines are legally required to give the passenger a written statement explaining their rights.
However, if you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.
If the airline has to substitute a smaller plane for the one it originally planned to use, the carrier isn’t required to pay people who are bumped as a result.
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