When an airline cancels a flight, the travelers
are entitled to compensation for their travel inconvenience, but the
airline won't always freely offer the maximum compensation to which a
traveler could be entitled. Travelers who prepare for the worst and
study their rights will be entitled to the most compensation.
Travel Insurance
The easiest way to ensure maximum
compensation when an airline cancels a flight is to purchase travel
insurance prior to the flight. Even the most basic travel insurance
covers cancellation. Available either through the airline or a travel
agent for a relatively modest fee, travel insurance can ensure full
compensation for flight cancellation due to weather or a technical
problem. If the flight is delayed, travelers are usually partially
compensated for the first 12 hours of delay. After 12 hours, they're
refunded the full ticket price by the insurance company.
Airline Compensation: The Traveler's Responsibility
Even travelers without travel insurance are
entitled to airline compensation for a cancelled flight. However, some
actions could decrease or void the airline's responsibility to provide
maximum or even any compensation, including arriving late (even if the
delay is due to clearing security) and not having proper ticket
confirmation. The earlier the traveler books, the more likely he or she
is going to be entitled to full airline compensation.
Airline Compensation: The Airline's Responsibility
Airlines often offer compensation to travelers who have fulfilled
their responsibilities when a flight is canceled. Common compensation
includes booking on a later flight with the same airline, meal vouchers
should the next booking be a few hours away and lodging vouchers near
the airport, should the later flight be the following day. The traveler
who is not offered these as a compensation should inspect the fine
print in the airline's policy and demand compensation, in a formal
letter after the fact if need be.
A traveler may even be able to invoke "Rule 240," a term for the
obligation of an airline to purchase a ticket on another airline for
the traveler, should it be found that another airline can get the
traveler to his or her destination more quickly. The airline is
unlikely to offer this without the traveler demanding it.
Optional Compensation: Overbooking
Travelers can also be entitled to
compensation when a flight is overbooked. Overbooking flights is a
common practice, because not all travelers show up for a flight. When
they do, someone won't be able to board. Preference is given to those
who checked in the earliest, so travelers should be sure to check in as
soon as possible. If a traveler is given preference to board the plane
and volunteers to give up his or her seat, he or she may be entitled to
a travel voucher, which will cover the cost of a different flight in
addition to being scheduled on a later flight for this occasion.
Travelers who plan ahead and do their research can acquire maximum
compensation when an airline cancels a flight. Nevertheless, it is not
too late for a traveler who did not have travel insurance to demand the
maximum airline compensation, even after the cancelled flight.