Consumerist
Vacations
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empathy
U.S. Airways: Abandoning Passengers "Is Not A Compensation Issue"
Remember the 274 passengers stranded by U.S. Airways in Punta Cana? According to the airline, compensating those passengers would be unsafe. Seriously, that's their argument:
"In order to ensure that all carriers remain focused on safety, aviation regulations do not require airlines to pay compensation for consequential expenses because of delayed or canceled flights."
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united
United's "Bad Weather" Excuse Isn't Very Believable
Jonathan wants to know how long an airline can blame a cancellation on bad weather, and whether there's any way to get such a claim rejected when it's used inappropriately. Is it legitimate, for example, to say tomorrow's flight is canceled due to weather, when what you really mean is an isolated thunderstorm the day before—which evidently affected no other airlines in the area—triggered a domino effect in getting a certain plane to the right airport a full day later? More » -
weather delay
Dear American Airlines Employees: "I Hope That One Day You Find A Good Paying Job With An Employer That Cares About You"
AJ writes in to let us know that he too was lied to by American Airlines. They canceled his flight(s) from Pittsburgh to Austin (by way of Dallas). He called the 1-800 number but was met with a CSR who used "bad weather in Dallas" as an excuse, and told him there was no way to get him to Austin on time. More » -
travel
Nasty Spring Snowstorm Affecting Flights In And Out Of Chicago
A nasty spring snowstorm is messing with Chicago says reader humphrmi:
Just thought I'd get the word out... Chicago is getting smacked with a spring snowstorm. I just went outside and it's nearly white-out conditions outside.
The FAA says: More » -
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travel
American Airlines Dallas Cancellation Party Not Going So Well
Reader Drew is currently stranded at Dallas Fort Worth airport and would like to speak with someone from American Airlines on the telephone. Unfortunately, we're the only ones he can reach. More » -
Snow in Cleveland is affecting air travel. The FAA says:Due to WEATHER / SNOW-ICE, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland, OH (CLE). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 3 hours and 12 minutes.
Continental, which uses Cleveland as a hub, is canceling lots of flights. [Ohio.com] -
It's snowing in NYC, causing the usual flight delays and cancellations. The FAA says that JFK, LaGuardia and Newark are expecting arrival delays of three to seven hours. The FAA is also reporting that 27 percent flights at Philadelphia International Airport have been canceled. Feel free to share your thoughts about this with us at tips@consumerist.com. [CNN]
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travel
5 Things Airlines Don't Want You To Know About Weather Delays
When an airplane is delayed due to the weather, they get out of a lot of obligations, and there's little oversight over what they get to call a weather-related delay. Elliot.org interviewed industry experts and came up with five interesting things the industry is keeping from you about weather delays... More »
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travel
American Airline's Weather Delay Excuse Successfully Debunked
You don't need to hire a forensic meteorologist to dispute an airline's so-called weather delay and get the compensation or rebooking you're deserved, sometimes you just need the internets! Here's how Jasmine did just that with a recent flight on American Airlines:
My last canceled flight was blamed on the weather. I called a friend with the internet, had them look up the weather at my destination and en route (which was fine). I went back to the desk and said, "The weather is fine. You sure there aren't other problems?" That's when then he said that it was the weather AND technical problems with the plane...
See, they didn't lie, they just didn't tell you the whole truth, because that would have cost them money. That Apple commercial with the pilot using his iPhone to question a 3-hour weather delay? That could be you.At that, I mentioned the rule, and suggested he try to re-book me, which he did.
