Bankrupt airlines, grounded planes, record high-fuel prices, and delayed flights. Those are just some of the issues you can expect to deal with during the busy summer travel season.
If you are one of the millions of travelers planning to take flight in the next few months the outlook for a smooth ride looks bleak. Here’s what travel experts say you can expect if you’re departing on a family adventure this summer:
DELAYS AND CANCELLATIONS
The FAA’s maintenance audits will continue through June 30th meaning the possibility that your flight could be delayed or cancelled is quite high. For those of you who are blissfully unaware of the recent round of sweeping airline audits they all started when the FAA announced it would fine Southwest Airlines more than $10 million for missed inspections. To ensure other carriers were not committing the same violations as Southwest the FAA went into overdrive. Those mandated inspections resulted in American Airlines canceling more than 3,000 flights earlier this month.
BUMPING
Getting bumped is a bummer especially if you are traveling with children. However, there might be a silver lining to the gray bumping cloud. Starting in May, passengers who are bumped from flights will receive double the current compensation — up to $800 — from airlines. According to airline officials, the new compensation policy applies to travelers on smaller, regional jets that seat 30 people or more as well as those flying on larger planes. As for the financial breakdown, under the new rules if you’re bumped, you could receive up to $400 if you’re rescheduled to reach your destination within two to four hours of your original plans. If it takes longer than that to get from your departure city to your destination city, you could receive up to $800.
In an effort to alleviate westbound delays out of New York, the FAA just announced it would be opening a second westbound route for planes. The government also announced a new measure it hopes will reduce delays in severe weather. Transportation officials say effective immediately planes flying in and around New York City will be given more flexibility to use alternative routes in Canadian airspace to dodge severe storms and high winds.
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