When American Airlines announced cancellations of some flights to avoid potentially straining its operations, it sent some fliers into a frantic search for a Plan B to make their early July travel happen.
Consumers planning trips this summer should know how to prepare themselves in case their flight gets canceled.
Airlines will typically offer a new itinerary to ticket holders. At American, an executive said while most customers will still be able to make it to their destinations the same day, some will be moved onto earlier or later flights, or connect over a different hub.
If what the airline you booked is offering doesn’t work for you, you can ask for a refund. “The U.S. Department of Transportation’s longstanding regulation requires carriers to provide passengers with a full refund when a carrier cancels a flight or makes a significant change in a flight schedule and the passenger chooses not to accept any alternative offered by the carrier,” said Mark Meader, senior vice president, industry affairs and education, for the American Society of Travel Advisors.
The DOT reiterated the rule in an April 2020 enforcement notice, a few weeks after the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 as a pandemic.
