what happens if a flight is cancelled due to weather?

[cruisinkitten]

I am flying to ft lauderdale this weekend and I am worried about tropical storm charlie. I think it should be further north then will affect my flight by saturday morning but if it is over florida will they cancel the flight? If they do can I get a ticket for another time or a refund? Any info on this is much appreciated. I'm not flying for a cruise unfortunately just for the weekend to see my family so if I have to do it another weekend its not that big of a deal.

Thanks

Rachel

[Flyer]

Generally they reschedule you on the earliest flight after the delay. In some cases they will reroute you on different airlines. They will do their best to get you to your destination as quickly as possible. That said, they can't always please everybody and weather is a major problem.

 

Try to allow a little extra flexibility. We had a weather delay going to Green Bay this past June and our options were to arrive about 11:30 pm vs. 3:00 pm and then drive an hour south to our hotel or go in the next day. We choose the next day.

 

It usually works out OK :)

 

One time we had a weather cancellation going to Copenhagen. After the rerouting we actually arrived 4 hours earlier. That was a pleasant surprise.

 

Flyer

[joelmarj]

One other thing to consider, you along with thousands of others will be stranded and looking to get out on the next flight. Sometimes, if the weather is questionable within a day or so of your flight the airlines will waive the fees they usually impose for changing your flight. If the weather is questionable for the day you are flying, you may be able to reschedule proactively for the next day without incurring a fee. What this does is get you on the next day earliest flight that works for you. Otherwise, once they start cancelling flights, it backs up and flight fill up. Could actually take you an extra day to get out.

 

If you watch the web sites for your airlines, they usually post advisories about the weather and what actions if any they are taking.

 

Most like you will be fine, but it could add a day or two to your travel plans.

[cruisinkitten]

Yikes I am only going to be in florida for a day and a half. Flying in saturday around 1 and leave monday morning at 6:45 am to be back by 11:15 for work at 12:30 pm on monday. I don't have any flexibility except rescheduling for another weekend if they would allow this without penalty. I really hope these storms will be gone by this weekend.

Rachel