Cancelled or Delayed Flights

Airlines do not guarantee their schedules and you should immediately realize this when you purchase your ticket. Everything from the weather, air traffic or mechanical problems can delay an aircraft. Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers. Simply, there are no federal requirements so airlines are not required to compensate passengers for delayed or cancelled flights. You may try to negotiate for such things as meals or telephone calls but the airline is not obligated other than to get you on the next scheduled flight.

How can you minimize your problems from cancelled or delayed flights? A lot of it is out of your control but consider some basic things: busy airports, the likely weather at the airport, connection time. There is no way to foresee mechanical problems. Based on this your odds for a delay or cancellation are far greater at Chicago O'Hare in the winter than it is to connect or fly from airports in the southern part of U.S. Of course remember that there is a domino effect when there is delay or cancellation. So even if you're flying out from Dallas/Ft Worth and the plane you'll be flying on originates out of Chicago, there is still a possibility of a delay or cancellation.