If you remember flying for the Fourth of July in 2022 as an ordeal, it’s unfortunately unlikely that this year’s upcoming holiday weekend will yield an easier traveling experience.
A combination of expected inclement weather, staffing shortages, and thousands of delayed or canceled flights over the past few days are likely creating a perfect storm for flight complications.
According to Clint Henderson, managing news editor at The Points Guy, summer travel this year has consistently been more busy than it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Henderson said that the stark increase in demand, combined with staffing shortages and airlines not accounting for adverse weather conditions, will likely make flying difficult this weekend.
“Every summer the airlines are planned as if there’s no [inclement] weather. So I think this is partly an airlines issue,” he said, noting that thunderstorms are a common occurrence in much of the country during summer months.
However, airlines are not legally required to reimburse or compensate travelers for an issue that is technically out of their control.
“When it comes to . . . extreme weather situations, passengers have almost zero rights,” Henderson said.
Washington stalls on the runway
Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ed Markey of Massachusetts proposed an Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights in February, following the Southwest Airlines catastrophe last winter where computer glitches and severe weather conditions resulted in thousands of canceled flights during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
Among the suggested rights for travelers is the proposal that weather cannot be used as an excuse for delays and cancellations that are actually the fault of the airline.
However, the House and Senate have yet to vote on the bill, meaning that these proposals won’t have an effect on anyone traveling this weekend.
Henderson suggested planning ahead to avoid the complications that a delayed or canceled flight would yield by checking the weather forecast to ensure benevolent flight conditions. If thunderstorms are in the forecast, some airlines offer weather waivers, which allow customers to rebook or switch their flights without being subject to paying a potential difference in price.
Other tips that Henderson mentioned include using a credit card that offers travel protections, booking the first flight of the day as thunderstorms are less likely to occur early in the morning, and ensuring that customers have downloaded their airline’s app on their phones, which may allow users to rebook their travel directly as opposed to waiting in line for customer service or on hold with an airline’s phone line for hours.
Henderson also said that he has had past success altering his travel plans by following an airline on social media, explaining that some airlines can rebook flights over Instagram or Twitter.
“I’m hopeful the airlines will do the right thing for passengers who are stuck sometimes for three days at an airport,” he said. “However, legally they are not required to.”
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