Daily Skimm

Hours-long flight delays, multiple cancellations, inconveniently rebooked trips. Sound familiar? Chances are, you or someone you know already has a nightmare travel story from this summer. To learn more about the turbulent travel season, we spoke with Zach Griff, a senior reporter at The Points Guy, who flew more than 185,000 miles last year alone. Here’s what he had to say…

Q: Have you experienced a travel nightmare this summer?

A few weeks ago, I was one of the many people in the New York area stranded by United … The Northeast has been hit particularly hard [by delays and cancellations] and I was trying to get to Miami for an event ... [In the end] I booked a total of six or seven United flights — and every single one of them was canceled. If I had accepted the new flight from them, it would’ve been like three days after the event. So I ended up flying with [a different airline].

Q: Summer travel always has its issues, but this year has felt particularly rough. What’s going on?

It boils down to a mix of disparate events that are coming together and wreaking havoc on the industry. You have summer weather patterns, which are pretty predictable ... [Though] the storms now may be a little more severe than before. But you’ve also got staffing shortages at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). So even if the plane, pilots, and crew are all there and you’re boarded, if someone at the FAA isn’t there to clear your flight or help get a route, you can’t go anywhere … Right around the pandemic, airlines implemented early buyouts and [packages] for people nearing retirement. As they’ve hired people to replace those who retired, [that’s created] a significant lag in training. The new people are just not going to be as fast and they’re not going to be as experienced ... [Plus] you’ve got congested airspace, which is another reason the Northeast has had it so bad.

Q: What can people do before a trip to ensure it’s as smooth as possible?

If severe weather is expected on your travel days, look at the airline’s policies [to see if they] issue waivers, which lets you make changes to your flights without paying a change fee or fare difference within a specified window. If you’re flexible and can fly before or after the storms, absolutely do that … [Also] during the pandemic, many airlines stopped charging change fees and lowered the price for some tickets. So if you really need to be somewhere … book a second flight on a different airline, a few hours after your original one. That way, if something happens to your original one, you’ll have that ticket. Or, if things go smoothly, you can take a credit to use in the future.

Q: Let’s say your flight is canceled. What’s the very first thing you do? 

Make sure you’re using the airline’s app — that’s typically the fastest way to get re-accommodated … Check if you’ve been rebooked, and if not, grab a replacement seat as soon as possible. You don’t have to [end up taking] that seat, but you do want to be quick and nimble because everyone else on your flight is going [to be looking] at the same options … Then, keep monitoring to see if availability improves. When there are mass cancellations and delays, lots of people end up missing flights and connections, so the standby list has been a popular way to get into otherwise sold out flights … [Keep in mind] if your flight is significantly delayed or canceled in the US, you’re entitled to a full refund for your ticket ... Even if [the airline] automatically offers you a credit, you’re entitled to a refund. And you can [request that] through the Department of Transportation.