New Airline Delay Rules Could Make Travel Headaches More Expensive for Central New Yorkers

Getting stranded at the airport is bad enough. Getting stranded and finding out the airline may not cover your dinner or hotel room is even worse.

A new federal rule taking effect October 19 could make it harder for travelers to receive certain accommodations when a flight is delayed or canceled.

What Is Changing?

Airlines are required to report why flights are canceled or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Those disruptions are currently placed into categories including extreme weather, security, the national aviation system and problems considered within the airline’s control.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation is now creating a separate reporting category for 10 situations that will no longer be counted as airline-controlled disruptions.

According to the new federal rule, those situations include:

• Aircraft cleaning required following the death of a passenger
• Aircraft damage caused by severe weather, debris or sabotage
• Baggage system outages not controlled by the airline or its contractor
• Cyberattacks when the airline is following applicable cybersecurity rules
• Unexpected government system failures that affect flight safety
• Overheated brakes caused by a safety incident involving emergency procedures
• Certain unexpected maintenance problems that cannot be postponed
• Medical emergencies that are not the airline’s fault
• The removal of an unruly passenger
• Airport closures caused by volcanic ash, wind or wind shear

Some of those make perfect sense. An airline cannot control a medical emergency, sabotage or the behavior of an unruly passenger.

The maintenance exception, however, may be the one travelers want to watch most closely.

The new category only applies to unscheduled maintenance that appears outside the airline’s regular maintenance program and must be fixed before the aircraft can safely fly. It does not mean every mechanical problem automatically becomes the passenger’s problem.

Why This Could Affect Your Wallet

Major airlines currently promise certain accommodations when a cancellation or lengthy delay is considered within their control.

Depending on the airline and circumstances, that may include free rebooking, meal vouchers, hotel accommodations or ground transportation.

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Once these 10 situations move into a separate category, airlines may no longer treat them as controllable. The Transportation Department acknowledges that the change is expected to reduce the total value of amenities and compensation airlines provide to passengers.

In other words, the new rule changes how disruptions are officially classified, but it may also give airlines more reasons to deny meal, hotel or transportation assistance.

Airlines could still choose to help passengers. The rule does not prevent them from offering vouchers, hotel rooms, miles or other accommodations. It just means travelers may have a harder time arguing that certain disruptions were the airline’s responsibility.

What Central New York Travelers Should Do

Flying from Central New York often means taking a smaller first flight before connecting somewhere else. One delay at Hancock can quickly turn into a missed connection, a long night in another airport and an unexpected hotel bill.

If your flight is disrupted, ask the airline for the exact reason. Do not settle for a vague explanation like operational issue or mechanical problem.

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Take screenshots of your flight status, save emails and text alerts, and keep every receipt for food, transportation and lodging. Ask specifically about meal vouchers, a hotel room, ground transportation, reimbursement or airline miles.

You should also check the Transportation Department’s airline customer service dashboard before traveling. It shows what each major airline promises passengers during controllable delays and cancellations.

Travel insurance or a credit card with trip-delay coverage may also become more important, especially when flying during Central New York’s unpredictable winter weather.