Some Seattle fliers are switching their trips to Delta Air Lines as hometown carrier Alaska Airlines’ schedule takes a hit from the latest Boeing 737 Max grounding.
24.12.2023 - 15:31 / thepointsguy.com / Delta Air Lines
The cost of flight delays or cancellations can quickly add up. On top of the inconvenience of being stuck in an airport for hours on end, missing a family gathering or a day of vacation, flight disruptions can get expensive — from extra meals at the airport to, in the worst cases, an unexpected night in a hotel.
In some cases, though, the airline might be willing to pay for some of those costs — specifically, when the disruption is due to an issue like maintenance or staffing (in other words, when the problem is the airline's fault).
You just might need to ask ... and to know what your rights are.
In late 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation unveiled an airline customer service dashboard that spells out how the 10 largest U.S. carriers accommodate passengers in the event of a cancellation or significant delay within the airline's control.
The page, found at the web address FlightRights.gov, shows the commitments each airline has made in their customer service plans. The DOT claims most airlines firmed up and clarified those commitments during the dashboard creation process.
For their part, airlines contend that they were already providing most of these accommodations for passengers. Some airlines even view the exercise as unfair. For example, a low-cost carrier that lacks an interline agreement with other airlines might still book passengers on other airlines by paying full price for tickets. In other words, just because something is not listed here doesn't mean an airline won't provide it.
Don't expect these types of accommodations for delays or cancellations that are outside an airline's control, like those due to weather or air traffic control. Passengers are generally given little to nothing in the event of one of those delays or cancellations.
Here's what each airline has committed to, according to the dashboard.
In early 2023, the DOT added another aspect to its air travel consumer dashboard: a section that evaluates whether airlines — to the DOT's liking — guarantee fee-free family seating.
The specific standard is that the airline guarantees "adjacent seats for child 13 or under and an accompanying adult at no additional cost for all fare types."
Only three of the 10 U.S. airlines the agency evaluated passed:
However, there are a few caveats to consider here. Southwest Airlines has open seating and allows up to two adults traveling with a child age six or younger to board early as part of the "Family Boarding" group; this group boards after the A Group is on the plane (at which point there typically will be plenty of adjacent seats remaining).
Delta Air Lines says it "strives to seat family members together upon request" and urges travelers who can't find seats together online to
Some Seattle fliers are switching their trips to Delta Air Lines as hometown carrier Alaska Airlines’ schedule takes a hit from the latest Boeing 737 Max grounding.
It's not unusual for passengers to fall asleep on flights, but what happened next for Cuong Tran was decidedly out of the ordinary.
Delta frequent flyers take note – there’s a brand-new flagship coming your way. The Atlanta-based carrier has confirmed that the Airbus A350-1000 is joining its long-haul flying roster. While specific details are still to be announced, expect this new jet to instantly become Delta’s biggest and best aircraft.
Get ready for a major new option when it comes to cruises from Galveston, Texas.
A man faces charges of interfering with flight attendant duties on his very first flight, after he drunkenly propositioned them about the "mile-high club," federal prosecutors say.
If you are boarding a plane in much of the United States during winter, chances are the aircraft will need to have a specially trained crew spray it with de-icing fluid before takeoff to remove ice and snow (or prevent more from sticking).
The cockpit voice recorder for Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was overwritten, hampering investigators aiming to determine why a door plug for an exit door on the Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner blew out shortly after the flight took off from Portland on Friday night.
When the temperatures are dropping across the US and you’ve made it through the stress of the holidays, you may find yourself in desperate need of a vacay. But when it comes time to look at flights, and maybe trip packages, you may notice something when you start to type “D-o-m” into the search bar: instead of flights to the Dominican Republic, you see flights to Dominica. Maybe you’ve heard of the island, or maybe it’s your first time — or maybe you didn’t even know that Dominica and the Dominican Republic were two different countries.
As part of the Delta’s ongoing efforts to support emerging talent, the airline commissioned pieces from these six up-and-coming artists to elevate their work to new audiences and showcase their talents during one of the art world’s biggest weekends.
Delta will add 9 flights and 1,272 additional seats for football fans headed to Houston from Detroit and Seattle.
Delta Air Lines said it plans to hire far fewer pilots in 2024 than in recent years, signaling a potential end to the airline industry’s post-pandemic hiring surge.
Iglu Ski Announce Incredible Ski Savings in their End of Year Sale.