What is latest deal if airline cancels flight because of weather and you are trapped in a city
Apr 14th, 2004, 04:33 AM
#1
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What is latest deal if airline cancels flight because of weather and you are trapped in a city
Husband spent an extra night in Detroit last night - NWA cancelled all flights in late evening to Newark (or other NY area airports) because of weather in Newark. He took a very early AM flight on Continental to Newark - any chance NWA will pay for hotel (I am really jealous - a business week in Detroit and Newark!)
Apr 14th, 2004, 05:48 AM
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I'm sure AAFF's longer reply would have said at one point that there are almost no circumstances any more under which an airline will put delayed passengers up in hotels, especially not coach non-premier status pax and especially not for weather.
Knowing that, I not only try never to book the last flight home out of a connecting city, I occasionally make hotel reservations in the connecting city before I leave if I know ahead of time the weather could be difficult, esp. on a holiday travel day. This allows me to know I have the room and at decent rate, which I can cancel if the flight home goes. Obviously this only works for flights that leave before the cancellation cut-off-time, or if you are willing to throw away $99 (or whatever) insurance that you won't have to sleep on an airport lounge floor. But sometimes it's worth it.
Another trick: DH was fogged in at LaGuardia and AA was teasing everyone with the thought they MIGHT still take off at 9 pm. They offered to rebook him for a morning flight, since there were already 2 planes full of people trying to get on that 9 pm flight. We figured that the motels in the area were filling up fast with others who were fogged in, so while he accepted the rebooking, I (at home) went on-line and got him a discounted room at one of the nearest motels. It won't always work that well, but if you stand at the "wailing wall" of airline customer service hoping to haggle for a hotel room, it's going to be futile.
Knowing that, I not only try never to book the last flight home out of a connecting city, I occasionally make hotel reservations in the connecting city before I leave if I know ahead of time the weather could be difficult, esp. on a holiday travel day. This allows me to know I have the room and at decent rate, which I can cancel if the flight home goes. Obviously this only works for flights that leave before the cancellation cut-off-time, or if you are willing to throw away $99 (or whatever) insurance that you won't have to sleep on an airport lounge floor. But sometimes it's worth it.
Another trick: DH was fogged in at LaGuardia and AA was teasing everyone with the thought they MIGHT still take off at 9 pm. They offered to rebook him for a morning flight, since there were already 2 planes full of people trying to get on that 9 pm flight. We figured that the motels in the area were filling up fast with others who were fogged in, so while he accepted the rebooking, I (at home) went on-line and got him a discounted room at one of the nearest motels. It won't always work that well, but if you stand at the "wailing wall" of airline customer service hoping to haggle for a hotel room, it's going to be futile.
Apr 14th, 2004, 11:27 AM
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As others have said, the airline has no obligation in this type of case. But sometimes they will pay for the hotel just to be nice.
My most recent example:
In February 2003 I was flying from Paris to San Francisco on Northwest, with a connection in Detroit. The incoming flight was very late arriving in Paris, so our departure was delayed some hours. My connection in Detroit was the last flight of the day to San Francisco. (Unavoidable, because it was the only flight that connected with the one daily Paris-Detroit flight.) The check-in agent told me that if I missed my connection in Detroit, Northwest would NOT pay for a hotel, so I'd be taking my chances.
In Detroit I did indeed miss my flight, but Northwest took pity on the dozens of stranded passengers and paid for hotels for all of us.
Ed
My most recent example:
In February 2003 I was flying from Paris to San Francisco on Northwest, with a connection in Detroit. The incoming flight was very late arriving in Paris, so our departure was delayed some hours. My connection in Detroit was the last flight of the day to San Francisco. (Unavoidable, because it was the only flight that connected with the one daily Paris-Detroit flight.) The check-in agent told me that if I missed my connection in Detroit, Northwest would NOT pay for a hotel, so I'd be taking my chances.
In Detroit I did indeed miss my flight, but Northwest took pity on the dozens of stranded passengers and paid for hotels for all of us.
Ed
Apr 14th, 2004, 01:49 PM
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Multiple answers to above posters
He works for a company - no loss to us to pay cancellation fees, unused airline tickets, etc - however it is obviously better for his company and/or clients if someone else will pay for something.
He tries not to book on last flight out, etc - and actually this was not last flight out, but a late afternoon flight that kept getting delayed/changed. He spent a lot of time on the plane after it pushed out of gate trying to leave. This is one reason he rarely uses Manchester (NH) airport over Logan (Boston) since he will have fewer options if there are equipment problems or weather delays.
Thanks for tips on hotels, air, etc. He has all sorts of tricks he uses - one way car rental reservations on shorter trips (he has one tonight since he may now be fogged into Newark), calling airline from terminal instead of standing in line with people trying to rebook, etc. Also, company actually deals with outside travel agent that has been very good about finding him options.
Thanks again for answers and advice - I think this east coast rain is payback for so few snow delays this winter.
He works for a company - no loss to us to pay cancellation fees, unused airline tickets, etc - however it is obviously better for his company and/or clients if someone else will pay for something.
He tries not to book on last flight out, etc - and actually this was not last flight out, but a late afternoon flight that kept getting delayed/changed. He spent a lot of time on the plane after it pushed out of gate trying to leave. This is one reason he rarely uses Manchester (NH) airport over Logan (Boston) since he will have fewer options if there are equipment problems or weather delays.
Thanks for tips on hotels, air, etc. He has all sorts of tricks he uses - one way car rental reservations on shorter trips (he has one tonight since he may now be fogged into Newark), calling airline from terminal instead of standing in line with people trying to rebook, etc. Also, company actually deals with outside travel agent that has been very good about finding him options.
Thanks again for answers and advice - I think this east coast rain is payback for so few snow delays this winter.
Apr 19th, 2004, 09:00 AM
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As previous posters have pointed out, the airline is under no obligation to find a hotel room for you or pay for it. However, AA has done so for me twice, and here is why. Both flights, we were going somewhere (one was Fresno, the other was Los Cabos) that required flying from TUL to DFW and making a connection there. In both cases, we were aboard the plane in TUL but could not take off because of very bad weather in DFW. One time we were delayed for 2 hours, the second for 6. During that time, we were assured we would make our connection as nothing was taking off from DFW. In both cases, we missed our connecting flight ( which is what I had suspected would happen all along). AA put us up in a hotel overnight both times, once in the Hyatt, the other in a total no-name dump, primarily because I pointed out to them that if they had just let up off the plane in TUL and rebooked us for the next day, we could have slept in our own beds. On the Los Cabos flight, they also upgraded the boys to First with us which was nice.
Apr 21st, 2004, 09:01 AM
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Can you imagine if some of the major airlines had to pay for hotels when weather caused canellations?
Since weather delays are not caused as a result of the airlines, they should not have to bear any financial responsibility.
Since weather delays are not caused as a result of the airlines, they should not have to bear any financial responsibility.
Apr 21st, 2004, 04:34 PM
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I've had this happen and I received a toll-free number from a customer service agent that put me in touch with a firm that specializes in "distressed traveler rates" at hotels near the airport. It saved a lot of money off the walk-in rate -- about 50%. It's worth asking about if you find yourself in this situation.
Jun 29th, 2004, 04:42 AM
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A weather delay in CHI caused my sister and I to miss connecting flights in Miami and Lima. No one from AA offered help in the airports, so I wrote them upon our return. We were each given a voucher to use for a flight discount within the next year. I'm sure this is done on a case by case basis. Our original tickets were very expensive and the delay caused MAJOR problems. Without their gesture, I don't think I would have ever used AA again.
Jun 30th, 2004, 06:17 AM
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A couple of years ago, my daughter's 10th grade class (about 40 kids) went on a field trip to DC on United. On the return trip, they mis-connected in Chicago due to weather. United would do nothing for them so they spent the night on the floor in O'hare. To make matters worse, there were no seats available for that many kids or even smaller groups for several days ahead. Finally, the next afternoon United put them on a flight to Seattle,(300 miles from home) and said that was about all they could do for them. We had to charter a bus from Seattle to Spokane to finally get them home.
