Travelers wait in line at a Delta Air Lines counter at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on July 19, 2024. Companies have experienced disruptions on an unprecedented scale.
Shen Ting/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Major airlines including United, Delta and American Airlines grounded flights on Friday morning as a global IT outage impacted their operations and caused passenger delays.
“You can imagine there’s massive chaos happening everywhere,” said Eric Napoli, chief legal officer of AirHelp, which helps passengers file claims for flight delays or cancellations.
He added: “With any kind of grounding, the bottleneck that so many flights face is incredible.”
Passengers affected by flight disruptions may be entitled to refunds, hotel or meal vouchers or other compensation.
But travel experts say much depends on the airline.
“There’s this gray area where we’re at the mercy of airline policies,” Naples said.
Experts are also divided over whether the outage constituted an event within or outside the airline’s control – an important factor in determining whether customers are entitled to any form of financial compensation.
What to know about airline financial responsibilities
There is really only one guarantee when it comes to airline financial responsibility: the customer Refund owed According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, if a carrier cancels a flight (for any reason) and they choose not to travel on an alternative flight, the fare (and fee) is reduced.
This is true even for non-refundable tickets.
That means customers can get cash back on canceled flights if they choose not to fly, and can also decline alternatives like rebooking or flight vouchers, said John Breault, a travel expert at the National Consumers Union.
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Passengers are also entitled to a refund for “significant” timetable changes or delays and choose not to fly, the Department for Transport said.
However, DOT does not define “significant.” The agency said the decision was based on factors such as delay and flight times, as well as specific circumstances.
As of October 28, airlines will have to Under rules issued by the Biden administration in April, refunds to customers will be made “promptly” and automatically. The rules also define “significant” itinerary changes, including delays of three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international flights.
However, because the rule went into effect in October, it won’t be able to help customers affected by Friday’s outage. Breault said they may have to “jump through hoops with the airline” to claim a refund.
Experts say this may be more challenging for travelers who purchase tickets through third-party booking sites rather than directly from airlines.
Naples said customers may have to deal with the intermediary to receive any form of financial compensation.
For example, Expedia says on social media On Friday morning, “Due to the global IT outage, call volumes are high and wait times are long. If your need is not urgent, please consider postponing calls and chats to avoid long wait times.”
Airlines have different policies on meals and restaurants
However, many travelers affected by Friday’s blackout or those trying to fly to their final destinations mean they are not entitled to a refund.
The federation generally does not provide any guarantees to travelers in this situation. This is where specific airline policies come into play.
“The airline will take you to your destination on the next available flight,” said Sara Rathner, travel expert at NerdWallet.
She added: “What may vary (between airlines) is how much you can be compensated after the fact, not just for the delay but for any other costs you may have incurred.”
On July 19, 2024, a global technical glitch affected the United Airlines terminal at Los Angeles LAX Airport.
Myung J. Chun Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Ministry of Transport website Outline operator commitments to customers If canceled or delayed for more than three hours. (Its dashboard outlines the policies of the 10 largest U.S. airlines, which account for 96% of domestic passenger air traffic, and their regional operating partners.)
The agency said airlines “must adhere” to these commitments.
All airlines promise to rebook passengers on the same airline free of charge. Naples said some flights will be on partner airlines and most flights will provide meals and/or hotel accommodations in the event of lengthy delays or cancellations.
Is the global IT outage “controllable”?
However, the airline’s commitment only applies to circumstances within the airline’s control.
According to the Department of Transportation, “controllable” flight cancellations or delays may be due to maintenance or crew issues, cabin cleaning, baggage loading or refueling, among other reasons.
Breault said it’s often difficult for consumers to obtain any form of compensation for uncontrollable events such as weather.
Experts appeared divided over whether Friday’s outage was within the airline’s control.
CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity company that Friday experienced a major outage related to a technical update. This affects organizations such as Microsoft, which scramble to restore applications and services used by a large number of companies, including airlines.
A message that reads “Windows does not appear to be loading correctly” is displayed on a Delta Air Lines kiosk at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on July 19, 2024.
Shen Ting/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“This seems to be some distance from the airlines,” NerdWallet’s Rathner said. “This is the software they use in their operations.”
However, Breault said airlines choose their suppliers. One might say “the failure of one of their suppliers was controllable,” he said.
“I think that’s going to be something that consumers should be concerned about,” Breault said.
For example, Lassner said passengers should keep receipts for unexpected expenses incurred due to delays or cancellations, such as accommodation and meals, to serve as proof of finances when filing a claim with the airline or travel insurance company.
“You might get some money back, so don’t throw away those receipts,” she said.
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