Delays, cancellations, missed connections? Your rights when you fly

CHARLOTTE — If you’ve flown out of Charlotte Douglas, you may have encountered flight delays, cancellations, or missed connections. Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke wants to make sure you understand your rights when your travel plans change, especially when it’s not your choice or fault.

Stephanie Scott has a lot of computer screens. She’s going for her doctorate and was excited for a little break. “I thought, yes, that’s the perfect release and so … but that’s not how it happened,” she said.

She and her husband were going to South Africa. “The flights were really, really expensive,” she said. “The flight cost us about $8,500.”

She says their flight was delayed, so they missed their connecting flight, lost about two days of the trip, and had to catch up with their tour group in Africa.

“All of my tension, all of my stress, just immediately erupted,” she said. “I’m crying. My husband’s trying to console me.”

But while they eventually made it, their luggage did not. “It was something having to hand wash our underclothes and your clothes every single day and ring them and hang them over doors,” she said.

The company, AirHelp, helps passengers get refunds, especially on international flights. Eric Napoli says the business constantly collects data from various sources on cancelations and delays of more than three hours.

He told Stoogenke that of all the U.S. airports with more than 10,000 flights, Charlotte ranked 9th worst last month and that more than a quarter of its flights were disrupted (canceled or delayed by more than three hours). He says the reasons: “Volume, weather ... staffing. But I would say mainly volume and weather.”

Charlotte is one of the busiest and the Carolinas did see more winter weather than usual this year. That said, Scott says her airline made things right, refunding her and her husband’s flights going to Africa and their baggage fees. “I could not have asked for better customer service,” she said.

Here’s what you should know:

If your flight is canceled or significantly changed, you’re entitled to a cash refund. It’s automatic, so you shouldn’t have to request it.

“Significantly changed” means:

- A 3-hour delay for domestic flights or a 6-hour delay for international ones

- A different arrival or departure airport

- Added connecting flights

- A class of service downgrade

Airlines must issue refunds within seven business days if you paid with a credit card (and 20 calendar days for other forms of payment). That includes all the fees that went with it, like baggage.

That said, you’re not entitled to a refund for any expenses you may have incurred because of the flight issues, such as getting a rental car, hotel, extra meals, etc.

For the most part, you’re not entitled to a refund because of bad service.

Airlines can still reimburse you for those or at least give you a credit or voucher if they want.

To be clear, this all applies to flights considered nonrefundable. If yours is refundable, it’s refundable regardless of the reason.

And travel insurance doesn’t usually cover cold feet or a change of heart.

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