Thunderstorm Chaos Disrupts Holiday Air Travel Plans

This festive season, it has been intense thunderstorms — not snowfall or ice — that have emerged as the primary obstacle for the millions of passengers traveling to airports.

Furthermore, additional challenges could be on the horizon.

Inclement weather disrupted air traffic on Thursday at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), the second busiest airport in the United States — also leading to escalating delays at neighboring Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) and to the south at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

At DFW, nearly 50% of all departing flights experienced delays on Thursday. Additionally, over a fifth of flights were canceled, as a sluggish storm system triggered multiple ground stops throughout the day.

Assistance! Here’s what to do if your flight gets canceled or delayed

American Airlines, which has its main hub at DFW, was significantly impacted by the severe conditions, resulting in more than 1,000 flight delays and upward of 300 cancellations on Thursday, according to data from FlightAware.

Southwest Airlines reported over 1,600 delayed flights on Thursday, with its bases in Dallas and Houston affected by the stormy weather. United Airlines, which has operations at IAH, also faced over 1,000 delayed flights on the same day.

The interruptions occurred on what was projected to be one of the busiest days of this holiday season at airports across the U.S. The Transportation Security Administration screened upwards of 2.7 million travelers on Thursday, with an even larger number of holiday goers expected to pass through security on both Friday and Sunday.

Given the crowds, the weather, and a technology failure at American on Christmas Eve, this week of holiday travel has been far more tumultuous than the relatively smoother Thanksgiving travel season.

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While American quickly rebounded from the third-party technical issue on Tuesday morning without canceling any mainline flights (though with some residual delays), adverse weather on both Christmas Eve and Thursday has complicated operations at its vast DFW hub this week.

Thus far on Friday, operations at the airline — and among other carriers nationwide — appear to be generally regaining normalcy.

Nevertheless, conditions might become tricky again this weekend, as the National Weather Service cautions. Significant storms may impact sections of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama on Saturday — and there’s a possibility that turbulent conditions could disrupt travel on the East Coast later this weekend.

“The weather on Sunday is likely to have the most considerable effects for travelers during the weekend, potentially causing major disturbances for East Coast traffic. Thunderstorms spanning heavily traveled flight paths from Florida to Virginia could result in routing changes,” NOAA national aviation meteorologist Wes Adkins informed TPG on Friday.

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Overall, airlines have experienced a significantly smoother operational year compared to 2022, which left travelers with far too many recollections of airline breakdowns — highlighted by Southwest Airlines’ operational disaster during the holiday season that year.

Airlines consistently reference a two-decade peak in staffing levels, along with various operational advancements, as a crucial element in restoring their schedules during incidents.

Yet, as demonstrated this week, Mother Nature can undeniably disrupt travelers’ most carefully crafted plans — as it has certainly done for some of the 20 million-plus travelers who have already navigated through airports this festive season, starting from last week.

Now, with tens of millions of additional travelers anticipated at airports between now and the upcoming weekend, here’s what you ought to understand if you’re flying.

Be aware of your reimbursement rights

According to U.S. Department of Transportation regulations, if your flight is canceled or significantly postponed and you opt not to travel, you are entitled to a refund for the unused segment of your journey — and this applies even for flights disrupted by weather.

However, it’s important to note that the “choosing not to travel” aspect is critical: if you accept rebooking or other arrangements, you may lose eligibility for a refund.

Nonetheless, if a flight disruption significantly impacts your travel itinerary to the extent that you’d prefer to remain home or opt for a different mode of transit (including flying with another airline), that refund could prove beneficial.

Read more: Flight canceled or delayed? Here’s what to do next

Airlines have outlined an extensive array of guarantees for meals, accommodations, and ground transport expenses for stranded travelers. These commitments can be located at FlightRights.gov.

The disclaimer here: these guarantees apply to “controllable” disruptions that are ultimately the airline’s fault. Unfavorable weather, typically, does not fit into that category.

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A credit card featuring travel insurance can be beneficial

This is the point where a credit card that includes travel insurance can assist you in recovering unexpected expenses when flight issues arise. Just keep in mind: in most instances, to effectively file a claim, you must have made the travel booking with that card.

Read more: 10 top credit cards with travel insurance for December 2024