The value of cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages often seems to diminish when your flight is cancelled. Over 650,000 passengers scheduled to fly out on over 11,000 flights that were canceled because of Tropical Storm Irene had to scramble to figure out what to do next.
When U.S. airlines cancel a flight passengers may request a full cash refund. This is often the wisest option since airlines offer of vouchers requires passengers to fly on a specific airline in the future.
However, passengers who still must get to their destinations are usually best served by working with the airline to get onto another flight. If you request a cash refund, you are likely to find that a new last minute one way flight costs far more than you paid for your original ticket.
Airlines are not responsible and seldom provide their passengers lodging for cancellations caused by uncontrollable conditions, such as severe weather.
Passengers cannot get their cash back for flights delayed due to weather. Change fees for changing flights are usually waived in special circumstances, such as a hurricane.
Passengers who are involuntarily bumped from flights may be due compensation as high as $1,300 per tickets vs. previous compensation which was capped at $800.
A new passenger rule was supposed to take effect on August 23rd which gives passengers the right to cancel any airline ticket for up to 24 hours after buying a ticket and get a full refund. It has since been delayed until January of 12. Most airlines charge change fees which range from $150 to $250, plus the difference in the cost between the original and new flights. www.cheapfares.com