Tag: flight delays

Why Summer Heat Is More Likely to Ground Your Flight Than Cold Weather

By Nikki Ekstein From Bloomberg News The summer travel season got a rocky start in late June when thunderstorms, coupled with airport staff shortages across the US, caused as many as 7,700 flight delays and 2,200 cancellations in a single day. But a lightning strike isn’t the most likely way travel plans get snarled. Passengers…


Federal Regulator Proposes New Compensation Rules for Air Passengers

Airlines cannot deny passengers compensation for poor service in situations they “knew about, or should have known about,” says a federal transport regulator in changes proposed under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR). Compensation for flight delays must be paid “except in exceptional circumstances” which the APPR will identify, wrote the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA)…


Calmer Conditions After Windy Airport Flight Chaos

Flights departing Australia’s busiest airport are mostly back on schedule after two chaotic days of cancellations and delays caused by poor weather and a lack of staff. Strong winds forced the cancellation of dozens of flights out of Sydney Airport on Friday and Saturday, with pilots limited to a single runway due to the high…


United Airlines CEO Faults FAA as Storms Trigger More Flight Cancellations

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby faulted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for ordering flight cancellations and delays over the weekend due to severe weather. Thunderstorms and failing equipment at an FAA facility created significant delays for air travelers across the U.S. East Coast on Sunday evening as Washington and New York were forced to briefly halt most incoming flights….


Biden Admin Wants Airlines to Pay Americans for Lengthy Delays, Cancellations

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced plans for new regulations that would require airlines to compensate passengers and cover expenses for meals and hotel rooms when flights are delayed or canceled. In a statement on Monday, DOT said the aim of the rules would be to require airlines to provide compensation beyond a ticket…


Biden Wants Airlines to Pay Americans for Lengthy Delays, Cancellations

The Department of Transportation (DOT) announced plans for new regulations that would require airlines to compensate passengers and cover expenses for meals and hotel rooms when flights were delayed or canceled. In a statement on Monday, DOT said the aim of the rules would be to require airlines to provide compensation beyond a ticket refund…


WestJet Says Third Parties Should Share Compensation Costs After Flight Delays

WestJet Airlines is asking the federal government to allow airlines to recover passenger compensation costs from other aviation industry partners, if it believes those partners played a role in causing flight delays or disruptions. The CEO of the Calgary-based airline, Alexis von Hoensbroech, made the comments in Calgary on Wednesday during a Chamber of Commerce…


Coping With Connections

Today’s giant airlines—as well as many smaller ones—make their business on connections. The pervasive “hub and spoke” route system means you can fly from almost anywhere in the U.S. to almost anywhere else with one stop-and-connection at a hub. My home airport, Medford, Oregon, is typical. If I want to fly to, say, New York,…


Increasing Frustration With Lengthy Processing of Air Passenger Complaints: CTA Survey

A growing number of Canadians are dissatisfied with the time it takes to resolve air passenger complaints, according to four internal surveys conducted by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA). The CTA is responsible for enforcing rules that require an airline to compensate passengers when a flight is delayed or cancelled for a reason within the airline’s control….


Travellers Invited to Join Class Action Against Sunwing After Massive Flight Delays and Cancellation

A law firm is looking at potentially starting a class action lawsuit against Sunwing Airlines for Canadian travellers who were affected by the company’s sudden cancellation of flights in Saskatchewan, days after the Christmas holiday. Sunwing announced on Dec. 29, 2022, that it was cancelling the flights in airports in Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, due to “extenuating circumstances.”…