Airline travel loophole ?s

I am a frequent flyer and hold the airlines to pretty high standards. But I can't really say I agree that they should be held accountable for delays/cancellations that truly are weather related...

It's just a simple matter of dollars and cents. They wouldn't be able to maintain profitability if they were covering our meals and hotel rooms because of mother nature...

My beef was that my problems weren't DIRECTLY weather related as much as they were a snowball/ripple effect of OTHER weather delays and the ticket agent basically said "sorry, you're F'ed, we accept no responsibility whatsoever, enjoy sleeping at the airport".

When I arrived at the airport (hours early because I was aware of the problem and was hoping to get an earlier flight or reroute to fix the problem) planes were arriving/leaving and the weather only continued to improve.

There isn't a distinction between indirect weather delay and direct weather delay...

The weather could be great in Ft. Walton (where I am), great in Dallas (where I am connecting) and great in Vancouver (my final destination). But it is possible that the plane for my first flight is coming from NY and can't take off due to bad weather there. This can cause me to miss my connection in Dallas and it isn't anyone's fault...

The best the airlines can do is try to get me on another flight to Dallas so I don't miss my connection.

But I am not the only one affected by this. The other 50 people on my Dallas flight are all trying to get on earlier flights. Let's say there are two earlier flights each with 20 empty seats. That covers 40 of the 50 people going to Dallas. But 10 are hosed. So if you don't have frequent flyer status or if you try too late (or if all other flights are full or there aren't any earlier flights) then you are hosed. They will put you on the next available flight OR GIVE YOU A REFUND even for a nonrefundable ticket (because just like it isn't their fault- it also isn't your fault)...

Anyway, I just don't agree that the airlines should be held accountable for weather. Maintenance- yes. Overbooking, yes. No one there to fly the plane- yes- so long as it is not due to weather...

2 cents. Sorry. Good luck.

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I understand the math/issues involved, I just think there DOES need to be some accountability because they use it as a "no fault blanket excuse" to avoid responsibility.

I'm a pretty frequent and creative traveler (which is why I was doing laundry and smelling dinner at a relative's house in another state at the time my flight was supposed to take off and strand me at the airport) so I tend to fare pretty well in these situations, but I know they are totally screwing over less knowledgeable and stubborn people.

A large portion of the delays is because they have everything stretched to the limit - no flex time in the schedules, no extra planes in the hangers, no extra staff in case of a problem, no extra flight time for pilots!

I am a frequent flyer and hold the airlines to pretty high standards. But I can't really say I agree that they should be held accountable for delays/cancellations that truly are weather related...

It's just a simple matter of dollars and cents. They wouldn't be able to maintain profitability if they were covering our meals and hotel rooms because of mother nature...

I disagree. If you pay for a service, such as a flight, and you receive only a portion of the services promised in exchange for full payment, the service is still due by the business. If I were in that situation, I would call American Express and tell them not to make payment to the airline which didn't render the service, and I'd let them handle it.

Why are airlines allowed to not be responsible for your lodging or rebooking your connecting flight when the delay/cancellation is due to weather?

Airlines have never been required by law to accommodate passengers for weather related inconveniences. It was always done out of courtesy. Once the era of huge financial losses hit, airlines cut out putting passengers up for weather related delays in a cost cutting move.

It sux, but I doubt it's going to change any time soon...

If I were you, I'd only fly private from now on. It's so much easier not having to look at schedules, book flights, go through check-in, security, waiting, boarding, waiting, etc. The pilot is there waiting to take your bags, arrange a rental waiting when you land, and head back when you are done. Citations are good starter jets, and you can go up from there. Destin airport can recommend a full time pilot, there are a ton of retired air force types here that are waiting for work. Hope this helps.

If I were you, I'd only fly private from now on. It's so much easier not having to look at schedules, book flights, go through check-in, security, waiting, boarding, waiting, etc. The pilot is there waiting to take your bags, arrange a rental waiting when you land, and head back when you are done. Citations are good starter jets, and you can go up from there. Destin airport can recommend a full time pilot, there are a ton of retired air force types here that are waiting for work. Hope this helps.

Thanks, that was as helpful and on topic as all your other posts!

Thanks, that was as helpful and on topic as all your other posts!

No problem. Glad to help. I forgot to mention, the ground crew is much more attractive and the rest of the crews are much friendlier. I really don't understand why people fly commercial unless they are crossing the pond.

We often HAVE to make connections through ATL. Many times we are told that we have a delay due to weather conditions in Atlanta. Then we call our son in Atlanta and ask how the weather is and more often than not he will say beautfiul, why do you ask? Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

I've only had rude/unfriendly airline staff on rare occassions ......... maybe it's how I treat THEM being reciprocated .

As for their personal attractiveness level, guess I've just been more interested in how they were doing their JOBS! :roll:

I've only had rude/unfriendly airline staff on rare occassions ......... maybe it's how I treat THEM being reciprocated .

As for their personal attractiveness level, guess I've just been more interested in how they were doing their JOBS! :roll:

No need to roll your eyes and get ugly, I'm just trying to help. I assume you treat the staff better than you treat those offering advice to a question you posed. If you continue with your behavior, I'll be forced to report this post to the internet message board moderator. You'll get a warning, and soon the warnings will end and the bannings will begin.

There is one for Delta. Wow, that is great to hear!

Regional airline I grew up flying used to bake chocolate chip cookies on every afternoon flight so you'd get a warm cookie w/ gooey chocolate instead of a bag of peanuts etc .

Most of my air travel is business, but when I do fly for personal funn I get trip insurance;-)

Scooterbug,

I could write a friggin book on airline delays, lame excuses, unreliable and unfriendly staff, etc... and so your story, like countless others resonated with me - my only suggestion (and not a great one I am sad to say) is to inform yourself as to how airlines compensate for delays - for example: Delta will pay you $50 for a 2 hour delay, $100 for a 3 hour delay, etc...
Now, if you ask a Delta representative (even being as poilte as can be), you will be told that there is no policy (bla bla bla...) - arm yourself with the customer service number (NOT the 1-800 one) and call. I realize most of us would gladly not get the $50 and leave on time but if enough people formally complained, maybe, just maybe, things would improve.

Talk of the Nation did a story today on airline delays being the worst it has ever been in recent history - l have not listened to it but can only imagine.

No need to roll your eyes and get ugly, I'm just trying to help. I assume you treat the staff better than you treat those offering advice to a question you posed. If you continue with your behavior, I'll be forced to report this post to the internet message board moderator. You'll get a warning, and soon the warnings will end and the bannings will begin.

Does someone have a chip on his shoulder? :roll:


.

I disagree. If you pay for a service, such as a flight, and you receive only a portion of the services promised in exchange for full payment, the service is still due by the business. If I were in that situation, I would call American Express and tell them not to make payment to the airline which didn't render the service, and I'd let them handle it.

SJ, per my earlier reply to Scooterbug, the airlines will gladly refund the portion of the flight affected by weather delay or cancellation. So the full payment for partial services argument is already addressed by the airlines.

I don't want to come off as the guardian of the airlines. Case in point- Picture me in flip flops and shorts talking to a client over breakfast on Madison Ave. last week. I flew into Laguardia late Sunday night and it was the second time in 10 days that Delta lost my luggage...

While I have had occasional great service, the norm lately seems to be bad behavior and poor performance and I feel Scooter's pain...

But we're talking about the weather here...

SJ, per my earlier reply to Scooterbug, the airlines will gladly refund the portion of the flight affected by weather delay or cancellation. So the full payment for partial services argument is already addressed by the airlines.

I don't want to come off as the guardian of the airlines. Case in point- Picture me in flip flops and shorts talking to a client over breakfast on Madison Ave. last week. I flew into Laguardia late Sunday night and it was the second time in 10 days that Delta lost my luggage...

While I have had occasional great service, the norm lately seems to be bad behavior and poor performance and I feel Scooter's pain...

But we're talking about the weather here...

I read your refund info in your second post after I had posted, but it sounded like scooterbug wasn't being reimbursed. I can empathize with you on the lost luggage. I flew from Atlanta to Boston, for a wedding on Martha's Vineyard, and my luggage went to Denver, only to be sent back to my home address after I returned home. On another trip to NYC from ATL, for my return trip, I taxied to the airport, only to find out that the airline had declared bankruptcy, and was out of business!!! I went to the terminal and there was not a soul there, except for a competitor at the counter across the room. Airlines suck! Now when I fly, I take the clothes I'm wearing, an extra pair of shoes, some underwear and one extra shirt, and I shove it into a small bag which I carry with me. Everything else is simply not needed.

I could write a friggin book on airline delays, lame excuses, unreliable and unfriendly staff, etc... and so your story, like countless others resonated with me - my only suggestion (and not a great one I am sad to say) is to inform yourself as to how airlines compensate for delays - for example: Delta will pay you $50 for a 2 hour delay, $100 for a 3 hour delay, etc...
Now, if you ask a Delta representative (even being as poilte as can be), you will be told that there is no policy (bla bla bla...) - arm yourself with the customer service number (NOT the 1-800 one) and call. I realize most of us would gladly not get the $50 and leave on time but if enough people formally complained, maybe, just maybe, things would improve.

Talk of the Nation did a story today on airline delays being the worst it has ever been in recent history - l have not listened to it but can only imagine.

This is certainly news to me! Do you have info on other airlines and how to collect? They would be losing tens of thousands of dollars if most of Sowal was demanding payment for the infamously tardy Ft. Walton/Atlanta flight! I fly a lot (not so much on Don't Expect to Leave The Airport because I try to avoid ATL) so this could add up fast.

I didn't have a refund issue (I changed my ticket and flew home the next day - albeit from a different state). The issue that prompted my posting was that even though the airline realized I would miss my connection, they said they wouldn't rebook me when I did. That was a first! Missing a connection and having to wait for hours, change my destination, reroute, or spend the night in a hotel because of weather or other issues I can understand and accept as an unfortunate aspect of air travel. Them saying that once I missed it (because of weather) I was S.O.L. was new and made me question that loophole.

I'm not asking them to fire up the plane in a tornado, but some of the things that they claim as "not our fault weather delays" are pretty out there, like sun spots, or bad weather at an airport across the country when you are on a regional shuttle whose standard back and forth route doesn't even go into the same time zone as the affected airport!

They wouldn't be able to maintain profitability...

profitability??

profitability??

Yer funny. I should have been more specific. How's this? -
They either wouldn't be able to maintain profitability (e.g. Southwest Airlines) or they would be further in the hole and would come closer to going under (e.g. TWA)...

Better?

Per Wikipedia:

Profitability is a technical analysis term used to compare performances of different trading systems or different investments within one system.

We often HAVE to make connections through ATL. Many times we are told that we have a delay due to weather conditions in Atlanta. Then we call our son in Atlanta and ask how the weather is and more often than not he will say beautfiul, why do you ask? Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

I am a local who travels to and from all airports for work, and all I can say is the chanciest flight is the Delta Connection 10PM, last flight from ATL to VPS (Ft Walton). There is a 60% chance it will leave late, and a 40% chance they just won't send it out--sometimes weather, sometime real legit mechanical, and somestime a "made up" exuses.

Alway take the flight before!!!!!..or just plan to spend the night in ATL.