WASHINGTON — Hundreds of 1000's of air vacationers are dealing with potential flight cancellations and delays this weekend, the height of summer season journey, as thunderstorms threaten the East Coast, West Coast and factors in between.

Nearly 500 U.S. flights had been canceled by noon Thursday, in line with flight monitoring service FlightConscious, and greater than 2,700 U.S. flights had been delayed.

Staying calm - and figuring out your rights - can go a great distance in case your flight is canceled, specialists say. Here’s a few of their recommendation for coping with a flight cancellation:

MY FLIGHT WAS CANCELED. WHAT NEXT?

If you continue to need to get to your vacation spot, most airways will rebook you free of charge on the subsequent out there flight so long as it has seats, in line with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

If you need to cancel the journey, you're entitled to a full refund, even if you happen to purchased non-refundable tickets. You’re additionally entitled to a refund of any bag charges, seat upgrades or different extras.

Kurt Ebenhoch, a shopper journey advocate and former airline spokesperson, has careworn that vacationers are eligible for a refund, not simply vouchers for future journey. If you do take a voucher, be sure you inquire about blackout dates and different restrictions on its use.

CAN I ASK TO BE BOOKED ON ANOTHER AIRLINE’S FLIGHT?

Yes. Airlines aren’t required to place you on one other airline’s flight, however they'll, and typically do, in line with the DOT. Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, beforehand really useful researching alternate flights whilst you’re ready to speak to an agent. Agents are usually below a whole lot of strain when a flight is canceled, so giving them some choices helps.

Ebenhoch additionally prompt on the lookout for various airports which might be near your unique vacation spot.

IS THE AIRLINE REQUIRED TO GIVE ME A HOTEL ROOM, OR OTHER COMPENSATION?

No. As introduced final month, the Biden adminstration is in search of to require that airways compensate vacationers and canopy their meals and lodge rooms if they're stranded for causes inside the service’s management - however, as of now, every airline nonetheless has its personal insurance policies about offering for purchasers whose flights are canceled, in line with the DOT.

Many airways do supply lodging, so you must examine with their workers. The DOT additionally has an internet dashboard that enables vacationers to match cancelation and delay insurance policies of main carriers.

I’M FACING A LONG WAIT TO REBOOK. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

If somebody in your touring celebration is at the next stage in a frequent flier program, use the quantity reserved for that stage to name the airline, Ebenhoch stated. You can even strive calling a global assist desk for the airline, since these brokers have the power to make modifications.

HOW CAN I AVOID THIS IN THE FUTURE?

Ebenhoch stated nonstop flights and morning flights are typically essentially the most dependable if you happen to can guide them. If you’re frightened about making it to the airport in time for a morning flight, he stated, contemplate staying at a lodge related to the airport the night time earlier than. And contemplate flying exterior of busy dates.

Klee really useful evaluating airways’ insurance policies on the DOT’s service dashboard. He additionally suggests reserving a number of flights after which canceling those you don’t use, so long as the airline will refund your cash or convert it right into a credit score for a future flight.

ARE FLIGHT CANCELATIONS TRENDING LOWER IN 2023?

Flight cancellations trended decrease all through the spring of 2023 than final yr, in line with information from the FAA.

Industry officers argue that carriers have mounted issues that contributed to a surge in flight cancellations and delays final summer season, when 52,000 flights had been nixed from June via August. Airlines have employed about 30,000 staff since then, together with 1000's of pilots, and they're utilizing greater planes to cut back flights however not the variety of seats.

Still, officers warn of lingering staffing shortages, notably amongst key air site visitors controllers. The FAA is coaching about 3,000 extra controllers, however they gained’t be prepared for this summer season’s journey. The company resorted to nudging airways to cut back flights within the New York City space this summer season, and it opened 169 new flight paths over the East Coast to cut back bottlenecks.

In a authorities audit printed final week, the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General discovered that the FAA has made “limited efforts” to have satisfactory staffing at important air site visitors management services, noting that the company “continues to face staffing challenges and lacks a plan to address them, which in turn poses a risk to the continuity of air traffic operations.”

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