How You Can Be Compensated for Flight Delays or Cancelations

If you traveled this holiday season then you know that it’s no easy feat!

Orlando International Airport

Not only can the planning be stressful, but you have to deal with airport crowds, heavy traffic while driving, and sometimes bad weather conditions. On top of all of that, you may have to deal with a dreaded flight delay, or even worse, a flight cancelation. That’s what has happened to thousands of travelers this holiday season, especially with the massive Southwest Airlines cancelations.

Southwest continues to cancel flights since the first major day of cancelations back on December 21st — it is possible flights will continue being canceled through December 31st. On Wednesday, December 28th alone, 2,500 flights or 60% of Southwest’s flights that day were canceled.

Flying Can Be Complicated

So if you were booked on a flight that has since been canceled, what do you do? Well, there’s a handy dandy tool online that can help you figure out if you will get compensated for your delay or cancelation.

Orlando International Airport

On the U.S. Department of Transportation website, you’ll find the Airline Customer Service Dashboard. This is an easy way to see what your airline’s commitments are when your flight doesn’t go as planned due to something the airline did. This does not include delays or cancelations caused by weather.

Below is the chart for “Commitments for Controllable Cancellations” with the airlines listed up top and the situations listed on the left side. There is a green check mark for the airlines that have committed to providing that service to customers, while the red “X” means the airline has not committed to that service. The “X” doesn’t mean that the airline won’t provide some exceptions, though, so it’s a good idea to check with your airline.

©US Department of Transportation

Let’s go through the Southwest Airlines commitments since many travelers are currently impacted by the airline’s cancelations. Southwest will allow you to rebook to another Southwest flight at no additional cost, give you a meal/voucher if you wait over 3 hours for a new flight, and give complimentary hotel accommodations and complimentary ground transportation to hotel and back if impacted by an overnight cancelation.

The only factor on this list that Southwest Airlines does not commit to is rebooking your flight to another airline at no additional cost. Some airlines have partnerships with other airlines, but in the case of a cancelation, Southwest does not allow this.

Southwest Airlines

The other chart on this page is for “Commitments for Controllable Delays” which pertains to any travelers experiencing a flight delay. The chart works the same way and includes many situations that your airline may or may not assist with.

In the case of Southwest Airlines, there have been many flight delays as well as cancelations, so knowing these accommodations is a must while flying right now. All of the commitments are the same as the cancelations chart — the only difference is if your flight is significantly delayed instead of canceled.

Southwest Airlines

If you are traveling this holiday season, pack your patience and consider creating a backup plan in case something goes awry. We’ll continue to keep you updated on the holiday travel news you need to know, so stay tuned!