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Save/ShareToday, we've blogged about the American Airlines cancellations and the company's explanations. But more cancellations are likely in the months ahead, and not just from American. Through June 30, FAA inspectors will do audits on all U.S. airlines, checking that airplanes are in compliance with a "random sampling" of its rules. Airlines with older planes will be more heavily affected, according to the Associated Press. About a third of our nation's planes are more than 25 years old.
In a separate matter, four airlines are being investigated by the FAA for failing to comply with regulations. Fines may be levied when the investigations end a few months from now, according to the New York Times.
The FAA is under pressure to step up its surveillance after Congressional testimony uncovered what appears to be lax enforcement. The Transportation Department's inspector general said today that the agency's crackdown is long overdue.
What should you do to prepare yourself for possible cancellations? Here are some tips:
--If you bought your ticket online, you've probably signed yourself up automatically for updates from your airline. Be sure to check your email before you leave home for the airport. Make sure you're checking the correct email address, too, if you have supplied the airline with an email address for your secondary Webmail service, which you primarily rely on for online purchases and not your most urgent email.
--Arrive early for your flight! Even if your flight isn't canceled, there's a danger that your seat may be given away to someone who is being re-accommodated from a flight that has, in fact, been canceled.
--Consider signing up for Orbitz's Traveler Update service, in which travelers and experts share the latest news at airports and the best types of responses. (We recently blogged about the service.)
--Print out and bring your airline's contract of carriage with you. Or save a copy on your laptop, assuming that you'll be traveling with one. In the case of long, involuntary flight delays and cancellations, you can refer to the airline's own policies to defend yourself: (In some cases, you may need to download free Adobe Acrobat software to be able to read these contracts.)
American Airlines Conditions of Carriage
Continental Airlines Contract of Carriage
Delta Airlines Contract of Carriage (subject to change soon, due to possible merger)
JetBlue Airways Contract of Carriage
Southwest Airlines Customer Service Agreement
Spirit Airlines Contract of Carriage
United Airlines Contract of Carriage
US Airways Conditions of Contract
Virgin America's Cancellation Rules (For more Virgin America policies, call 877-359-8474.)
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Great post! This is a nice summary of useful information in a stressful time.
Posted By Josh on April 10, 2008, 7:50 PM
How about in addition to the list above, that you add "contact your travel agent" if you booked your trip through an agency. And if you haven't already done so, purchase the travel insurance that your agent should have offered to you.
Posted By Karen on April 11, 2008, 9:22 AM
Josh, Thanks for the good word. And Karen:
Good points about contacting a travel agent and considering trip insurance.
Kind regards,
Sean
Blog editor
Posted By Blog Editor on April 11, 2008, 10:20 AM
If you do buy travel insurance to protect yourself from Airline issues, cancellations, but most importantly to protect yourself from Bankruptcy be sure to buy your travel insurance from a third party company, or ask your travel agent about purchasing insurance from a third party. If you do buy insurance direct from an airline and they go out of business or file bankruptcy, then most of the time their insurance is no good.
Posted By Jason on April 11, 2008, 11:13 AM
As a professional travel consultant, I highly agree with the above. I simply protected my clients once their flight was cancelled on another flight, 1, 2 3, they went to the airport and boarded the plane! In getting the last two seats on a recent AA flight, they watched others stand in long lines only to find out the flight was already full and overbooked!
Posted By sheryl on April 12, 2008, 10:14 AM
I'm traveling to Japan in early May. Which airline should I use? I was going to use American because of the good deal, but I don't know if it'll hurt me. Any tips?
Posted By christine on April 14, 2008, 3:05 PM