Nearly 1,100 flights canceled Friday amid continued severe winter weather
Haylin Urbanowski slept for 15 minutes on Tuesday night, hunched over her luggage at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
The 18-year-old college student was flying back to San Diego through Texas after spending winter break in her hometown of Tampa, Florida. But while she was on the first leg of the connecting itinerary, Southwest Airlines notified her that the flight had been delayed seven times due to severe winter weather.
The flight was eventually canceled, leaving Urbanowski stuck in Austin.
The airline rebooked her on a flight leaving shortly after midnight on Thursday, arriving just hours before her first class of the semester was set to begin. “I was so scared,” she told USA TODAY.
The airline eventually moved Urbanowski to an earlier flight Wednesday morning and gave her a hotel voucher, along with a $200 flight voucher and $25 Uber credit. But after spending about 20 minutes searching for the rideshare stand in 17-degree weather, she gave up and returned to baggage claim where she “had to camp out” on a seat until she could go through security in the morning.
Even bundled in three layers of sweatshirts and two pairs of thick socks, she was “freezing” (she said she later saw another passenger from her flight who said she was turned away from the hotel because it was full).
“I just had to wait it out,” Urbanowski said. She arrived home roughly 26 hours after she left Tampa. "We thank our customers for their patience while we made schedule adjustments using a safety-first lens to protect our vast network, keeping our crew, aircraft, and fleet networks are balanced (sic) and fully functioning," a Southwest spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "Our operation clearly benefited from our concerted efforts to bolster our resiliency for winter operations. Our Southwest employees worked through challenging conditions – be that on the ramp, in the air or serving our customers in the airport – and delivered hospitality every step of the way."
They did not comment on the specifics of Urbanowski's experience.
Urbanowski was not alone. Many travelers faced flight cancellations and delays this week, and the disruptions continued Friday as the U.S. sees more severe winter weather.Nearly 1,100 flights were canceled and over 6,100 were delayed in the U.S. as of about 4:30 p.m. ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. United Airlines saw the biggest impacts, scrapping 233 flights – comprising 9% of its schedule.
Virginia's Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport also saw a short ground stop for departures Friday morning due to snow and ice. Forecasters warned a winter storm would bring snow and frigid temperatures, with more than 115 million people from Iowa to New Jersey in its path. Here's what to know if your flight is canceled or delayed.
What airlines are issuing waivers?
The following airlines have issued waivers related to winter weather. Click the airline for the full details of each policy.
What happens if my flight is canceled?
Department of Transportation rules require airlines to offer customers a refund if their flights are canceled for any reason, but customers may be entitled to additional compensation if a cancellation is within the airline's control. Weather is outside of airline control.
According to the DOT's consumer dashboard, if Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue or United cancel a flight for controllable reasons, they're committed to:
rebooking passengers on the same airline or a partner airline, at no extra cost
providing a meal or cash or voucher for a meal when the cancellation results in a passenger waiting at least 3 hours for a new flight
providing complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
providing complimentary ground transportation to and from a hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Alaska and JetBlue passengers are also eligible for additional compensation.
Allegiant, Frontier, Southwest and Spirit do not book passengers on partner airlines. Additionally, Frontier does not offer hotel accommodations and related transport.
What happens if my flight is delayed?
"There are no federal laws requiring airlines to provide passengers with money or other compensation when their flights are delayed," according to the Department of Transportation.
However, U.S. carriers have committed to various levels of compensation for significant delays within their control. Each airline, however, defines significant delays differently.
If a flight is significantly delayed for reasons within their control, Alaska, American, Delta, Jet Blue and United offer:
rebooking passengers on the same airline or a partner airline, at no extra cost
providing a meal or cash or voucher for a meal when the delay results in a passenger waiting for at least 3 hours for departure
providing complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
providing complimentary ground transportation to and from a hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
Alaska and JetBlue also offer extra compensation when the flight is delayed by 3 or more hours.
Allegiant, Frontier, Hawaiian, Southwest and Spirit do not rebook travelers on partner airlines. Frontier doesn't offer hotel accommodations or related transport either.
USA TODAY broke it down by airline: If your flight is delayed, you may be eligible for compensation from your airline
What should I do if my flight is delayed?
If your flight is experiencing a long delay, the Transportation Department suggests asking airline staff if they will pay for meals or a hotel room.
The DOT dashboard reflects airlines' official policies, but many carriers handle compensation for delays on a case-by-case basis and may provide vouchers or other benefits in some situations that are not formally covered.
For example, according to Delta's Customer Commitment, "Delta representatives are empowered with the flexibility and discretion to issue the following forms of compensation for passenger inconvenience when individual circumstances warrant doing so: cash equivalents (e.g., gift cards), travel credits/vouchers, and/or miles for SkyMiles members."
Travel insurance can also help with cancellations and delays. Some credit card companies will also reimburse cardholders for expenses related to travel disruptions, when travel is booked on their cards.
Contributing: Zach Wichter, USA TODAY; Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What you're owed if your flight is canceled, delayed amid winter storm
