Canceled flight hotel reimbursement, voucher not required by law

Thousands of vacation vacationers had been stranded in late December amid a wave of canceled flights, nearly all of which had been on Southwest Airlines. 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has since pushed Southwest to supply “adequate compensation” to its passengers, together with for missed flights, inns and meals because of the cancellations.

This has left many people online questioning what they’re entitled to if their flight is canceled. One individual claimed in a tweet on Dec. 27 that Southwest is required by law to supply hotel and meal vouchers. 

Are airways required by law to pay for inns and meals when your flight is canceled? 

No, airways are not required by law to pay for inns and meals when your flight is canceled, however many airways have insurance policies to take action underneath sure circumstances. 

Airlines are regulated by the federal Department of Transportation (DOT). There isn’t a federal law requiring airways to cowl the price of your hotel and meals within the occasion of a flight cancellation, CBS News journey editor Peter Greenberg informed VERIFY.

The DOT additionally says on its website that “airlines are not required to provide passengers with money or other compensation for costs that fall outside of the canceled airline ticket and fees tied directly to the airline ticket (such as baggage fees, seat upgrades, etc.) when flights are canceled.”

More from VERIFY: Yes, you will get a refund in case your flight is canceled and also you select not to journey

However, some airways pays in your hotel, present reimbursement, or supply hotel and meal vouchers. 

Individual airways have their very own insurance policies outlining what they are going to do within the occasion of a canceled flight, together with whether or not they are going to cowl the price of inns and meals. The DOT recommends asking workers members if the airline pays for meals or a hotel room, however notes that some airways “do not provide any amenities to stranded passengers.”

Many airways say of their customer support plans or contracts of carriage, which is the authorized settlement between an airline and its passengers, that they are going to pay for inns by way of vouchers, reimbursement or by different means. 

Airlines usually present these facilities if the flight cancellation is inside their management.  

This might check with conditions the place the airline didn’t have sufficient crew members to function the flight, the aircraft skilled a mechanical failure or did not present up in any respect, or there have been expertise points, in keeping with Greenberg. 

“If there’s a weather situation, that gets them off the hook,” Greenberg stated. 

Here’s a breakdown of hotel and meal reimbursement insurance policies for main U.S. airways, together with Southwest. 

Southwest passengers impacted by a flight cancellation or vital delay between Dec. 24, 2022 and Jan. 2, 2023 can “submit receipts for consideration” if they’ve incurred extra bills for a hotel, meals and extra. Receipts could be despatched via email or Southwest’s web site. 

“We will honor reasonable requests for reimbursement for meals, hotel, and alternate transportation,” the airline says on its website.

The dedication to supply lodging within the occasion of a delay or cancellation that’s throughout the airline’s management can also be included in Southwest’s customer service plan.

If a hotel doesn’t present a shuttle service, Southwest says it would supply a voucher or honor cheap requests for reimbursement for transportation.

The airline additionally says in its customer support plan that it’ll present meal vouchers throughout flight delays or cancellations inside its management that end in a wait time of at the very least three hours. If vouchers or taking part distributors aren’t obtainable, Southwest says it would honor cheap requests for meal reimbursement. 

If your Delta flight is canceled or delayed for greater than 4 hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., the airline will offer you a voucher for one evening at a hotel “if overnight accommodations are available at Delta contracted facilities,” according to its contract of carriage.

Delta may also present free transportation if the hotel does not supply it. 

If hotel lodging are not obtainable, Delta says it would offer you a journey voucher equal in worth to the contracted hotel price, as much as $100. 

However, Delta says it would not be liable in your bills if the flight cancellation was as a result of “force majeure,” which the airline defines as:

• Weather situations or acts of God;
• Riots, civil unrest, embargoes, warfare, hostilities, or unsettled worldwide situations;
• Strikes, work stoppages, slowdowns, lockout, or every other labor-related dispute;
• Government regulation, demand, directive or requirement;
• Shortages of labor, gasoline, or services; or
• Any different situation past Delta’s management or any reality not moderately foreseen by Delta

United Airlines says in its contract of carriage that it’ll additionally present one evening’s lodging, or reimbursement within the type of an digital journey certificates, if a flight is delayed or canceled for greater than 4 hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The airline additionally says it would present snacks and/or meals and beverage vouchers within the occasion of a big delay brought about by United.

American Airlines will prepare an in a single day keep or cowl the price of an authorized hotel, if one is on the market, in case your flight is delayed or diverted to a different metropolis and does not board earlier than 11:59 p.m. in your scheduled arrival day.  

“We don’t guarantee reimbursement for hotel expenses if you book directly without written authorization from American Airlines,” the airline’s contract of carriage says.

If the delay is past the airline’s management, American says passengers should pay for a hotel, meals and different bills.

The airline defines occasions past its management as:

• Meteorological or climate situations
• Civil disturbances together with warfare, embargoes or unsettled worldwide situations (actual or threatened)
• Acts of terror
• Public well being emergencies of home or worldwide concern
• Labor disputes that contain or have an effect on our service
• Government laws or necessities
• Shortage of labor, gasoline or services of American or others
• Any reality not moderately foreseen or predicted by American

If your Alaska flight is canceled in a metropolis that’s at the very least 100 miles away from your private home, the airline will present one evening’s hotel lodging if they’re obtainable and transportation to the hotel, in keeping with its contract of carriage. 

If hotel lodging aren’t offered, you may as well request reimbursement for a one-night keep within the type of an digital certificates for future Alaska journey.  

These lodging will solely be offered when the delay is predicted to be greater than 4 hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., the airline says. 

Alaska says it would not be liable “for any failure or delay in operating any flight, with or without notice, for reasons of safety or when advisable, in its sole discretion, due to Force Majeure Events or any event not reasonably foreseen, anticipated or predicted by Alaska.”

Spirit Airlines says in its contract of carriage that it “assumes no responsibility for personal or business expenses incurred by a guest as a result of a flight delay cancellation, or schedule change.”

But the airline does say it would present in a single day lodging or reimburse you for the cheap price of lodging “in the event of a controllable cancellation or an extended controllable delay departing after the scheduled departure day.”

For delays of greater than three hours or a cancellation that’s throughout the airline’s management, Spirit says it would additionally present a meal voucher redeemable anyplace that can settle for it.

“However, if the cancellation or misconnection is caused by severe weather, Air Traffic Control decisions or other issues or causes outside of Spirit’s control, we do not offer such accommodations,” the airline says.