Here’s what to know about your rights if your flight gets canceled
United and Alaska airlines have canceled hundreds of flights involving Boeing 737 MAX 9 jetliners so that inspections can be completed following last week’s scary incident over the skies of Oregon.
Federal officials ordered the immediate grounding of some MAX 9 planes until they are inspected after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout Friday that left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage.
A United Airlines spokesperson said as of Monday the airline had canceled 200 flights and expects “significant cancellations” Tuesday as well.
“We have been able to operate some planned flights by switching to other aircraft types, avoiding about 30 cancellations each on Monday and Tuesday,” the spokesperson said.
U.S. PIRG consumer advocate Teresa Murray said if an airline cancels your flight for any reason, you’re entitled by law to a full refund. Murray has written extensively about passenger’s rights for canceled or delayed flights.
“If your flight gets cancelled and you don’t want to fly or you want to make other arrangements, or if you already missed where you are going if it was a wedding or a party, you are entitled to a complete refund,” Murray said.
If your flight is canceled and you find a flight on another airline, Murray said you can ask the first airline to transfer your ticket to the second airline at no cost to you. Airlines aren’t required to do this if the disruption wasn’t their fault, but Murray said many will if you ask nicely.
“You may not want a refund. You may just want to get where you’re going,” Murray said. “That’s where it’s really important for people to say, ‘Gee, can you get me on the next flight in three hours?’ or, ‘This other airline has a flight leaving this afternoon. Can you get me on that flight?”
According to Murray, you have even more rights if your flight is cancelled for reasons within the airline’s control, like staffing or equipment issues. In that event, the Dept. of Transportation shows most airlines will rebook you with a competing airline or pay for your hotel and ground transportation.
In these stressful moments, Murray said it’s important to remain calm and polite.
“I always recommend that people are nice in these kinds of situations because the person you’re talking with didn’t cause your problem but they can probably help you fix it,” Murray said.
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