Weather is beyond our control, but that doesn't mean you're powerless if your flight is canceled
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Holiday travel in America is back with a vengeance, but Mother Nature is throwing quite a counter-punch.
As many as 3 million passengers were booked for 47,000 flights on Thursday, but a bitter blast of winter weather threatened travel plans for many families who had already delayed their trips for years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We were ahead of the storm when we left Wednesday morning at noon," Laurie Jonsson, a passenger at MSP Airport, explained to WCCO. "As things progressed, well, it's always the weather. We're caught up in it and trying to keep that Christmas spirit as best as possible."
Jonsson and her husband, Lorne, were on their way to Winnepeg from Houston. They said their flight Wednesday night sat on the tarmac for two hours waiting to de-ice but had to turn around back to the gate because the crew timed out. The flight was canceled, and because other flights are booked, the earliest they could get on another plane is Christmas Eve.
"It's not his fault, it's not my fault," Jonsson lamented. "We're together and we'll make it one way or another."
What do to if your flight is canceled
Ticket rules for airlines are pretty strict, especially when it comes to the weather or Air Traffic Control, but the U.S. Department of Transportation makes clear that if a flight is canceled for any reason, the passenger is entitled to a refund if he or she wants to cancel the reservation.
Jose Ferreira, President of Riverdale Travel, warned however that only applies to the flight and generally won't save travelers from other reservations like hotels and rental cars.
"That's an individual call to each individual supplier to make sure they're accommodating you," Ferreira explained. "If you're making a big investment, several thousand dollars on a vacation, you need trip insurance to protect your investment."
Ferreira added that the two most important tips for travelers this season is to be prepared and be polite.
"I'm always checking both the TSA website for wait times and I'm checking the MSP Airport site to make sure there is parking availability. I'm also checking my flight status before I go to the airport."
As for being polite, Ferreira noted that many of the agents are dealing with stressed-out passengers and kindness can go a long way.
"In these environments where there's 100 people in line and everyone is super stressed out, you being nice where the last three people were super mean and angry, that's going to maybe be that little bit," he quipped. "I have seen ticketing agents find that extra seat if they feel like the person is being a good spirit about this."
The Jonssons said they're doing that anyway, even if there's no guarantee of reciprocity; it's the holidays after all.
"We're on holiday and that's interrupted, but when you sit here and go up to the counter and talk to these folks, they're not on vacation and working through all of this trying to do the best they can and help you out. You just have to appreciate them and what they're trying to do for you as well."
