Before you take to the air this holiday, learn your flight refund rights. AAA expects this to be an extremely busy travel season, with a record 119.33 million people traveling between now and the end of the year.
Whether you're headed to a country where the dollar is strong or one of Kiplinger's great places to live in Texas to see family, there's a good chance you could experience flight delays or cancellations due to high travel volume and potential winter weather. So, how can you get your money back if you're affected?
Storms could disrupt travel
With much of the country incurring winter weather, it's common for storms to pop up. If you live in or plan to travel in an area where winter weather is common, make sure to pay close attention to weather forecasts.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Even with preparation, things can happen that cause delays: Airline staffing issues, computer glitches and delays from connecting airports can cause a ripple effect that could add time to your travel.
Airlines aren't always prepared to respond, despite years of warnings. Compensation for passengers can be slow and painful to extract.
So educate yourself before you head to the airport, and use the compensation guidance below if your travel plans get derailed.
How to get your refund
So your flight was canceled or delayed — now what? Visit the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) Airline Customer Service Dashboard, where you can compare the refund and reimbursement policies of the 10 biggest U.S. airlines.
According to the DoT's information, Alaska and JetBlue are the top carriers in terms of assisting customers with disrupted travel plans, while Frontier is by far the worst.
Find your airline in the tables below and check if your disruption is covered under their policies.
Airline customer service list
Once you've determined whether your airline covers your situation, contact them via their respective customer service website:
- Alaska Airlines
- Allegiant Air
- American Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- Frontier Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- JetBlue Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- Spirit Airlines
- United Airlines
Holiday travel tips:
- Download your airline's app: If your flight delays, chances are customer service phone and physical lines will be long. Often, you can reschedule flights through your airline on their app quicker.
- Consider an airport lounge: Airports charge excessive prices for food and water. Instead of waiting in long lines, an airport lounge gives you a quiet place to relax, have a good meal, and even with a delay, you can rest comfortably.
- Have a credit card with trip insurance: Cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offer trip cancellation insurance if a flight cancels due to unexpected inclement weather, sickness and other covered events.
Related Content
-
Don’t Make These Five Mistakes on Your Tax ReturnTax Filing The IRS warns taxpayers to watch out for these common errors as they prepare to file.
-
Cooling February CPI Lifts Rate Cut Hopes: What the Experts Are SayingWhile the Fed is likely to keep interest rates unchanged next week, an encouraging February CPI report raises the odds for more easing later this year.
-
These Four Books Explore How to Leverage Our Outrage PositivelyThe authors offer some powerful tools to help us find solutions to discord rather than remaining silent or blowing up in anger.
-
Financial Pitfalls to Avoid in Your 30s, 40s and 50sAs you pass through each decade of working life and build wealth for retirement, watch out for the financial traps that can hinder your progress.
-
Trump's Tariffs Could Spike Gas Prices: Here’s How to SavePresident Donald Trump's tariffs against Canada could lead to higher prices at the pump. Here are ways to save.
-
Borrowing Against Your Life Insurance: How It Works and What to ConsiderUnlock quick access to cash by borrowing against your life insurance policy — without credit checks or strict repayment terms.
-
Four Action Items for Federal Employees With $2M+ SavedIf you can't stand the chaos, maybe you can walk off into the sunset of retirement. Here are some thoughts on how to figure out if that would work for you.
-
How to Help Accelerate Support for Women's EqualityIt's International Women's Day, and the theme this year is Accelerate Action. Here's how we can all pitch in to help drive gender parity.
-
How to Help Shield Your Retirement From InflationPicking the right investments at the right time can help ensure inflation won't flatten your retirement savings. Here are some tips.
-
How Trump’s Tariffs Could Impact Your Grocery BillTariffs at the checkout: Preparing for higher grocery bills and how to manage them.
