The storms and strikes that cause such scenarios are nothing new, but this year many passengers have been surprised by how little airlines are doing for customers when a flight is canceled. In the scramble to be rebooked, travelers are generally given two options: a refund for the unused portion of their ticket, or a seat on the airline’s next available flight, which, now that there are fewer flights and many of those flights are full, could be days later.

Five or 10 years ago, airlines paid for hotels and meals more readily, but these days cash-strapped carriers largely try to avoid picking up such charges, even when the cancellation is the airline’s fault. Bill Mosley, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation, said that the federal government does not regulate what airlines must do for passengers on canceled flights, though carriers are legally obligated to fulfill any promises made in their contract of carriage, the lengthy document that governs ticket purchases.

Here are some answers to questions that arise when a domestic flight is canceled.

When is a cancellation the airline’s fault?

Hardly ever. Most carriers give themselves plenty of leeway to avoid taking responsibility for cancellations or delays. Among the events that are considered beyond the airline’s control are: bad weather, acts of God, terrorist activities, war, strikes, “any shortage of labor, fuel or facilities” and “any event not reasonably foreseen, anticipated or predicted” by the airline.

Basically, the only time an airline might take responsibility for a delay or cancellation is when there’s a problem with the aircraft, although Southwest even includes “mechanical difficulties” in its list of not-our-fault situations.

Another problem is that it is the airlines — not an independent agency — that determine the cause of a delay or cancellation; a common complaint is that carriers blame everything on bad weather. Of the 50,000 domestic flights canceled in the first four months of this year — which accounts for 2.5 percent of scheduled flights, according to government statistics — two-thirds were identified as weather-related (those numbers do not include many regional flights).

Adam Martin was given the weather excuse in June when his American Airlines flight from Chicago to Washington required a mechanical fix. The flight was later delayed by thunderstorms and ultimately canceled, but Mr. Martin said he had to pay for a hotel and cab fare because the cancellation was coded as weather-related. “Had the plane been running properly, we would’ve gotten out just fine,” he said.

Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for American, said that the ultimate reason for a cancellation prevails — in this case, bad weather.

When does an airline have to pay for a hotel room?

If Mr. Martin’s cancellation had been deemed American’s fault, the airline’s contract of carriage reads, “We will provide reasonable overnight accommodations, subject to availability.” But airlines are often vague in defining when a cancellation is their fault, leaving plenty of wiggle room to avoid paying for a hotel.

Continental’s contract says that the airline will pay for one night’s lodging (or at least a “lodging allowance”) if a delay exceeds four hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. — except “when such interruption is due to circumstances outside Continental’s control.” According to Andrew Ferraro, a Continental spokesman, “required maintenance” is one situation that might cause the airline to cover lodging costs, although he and other airline representatives declined to outline when carriers would foot the bill, or to say how often that happens.

Southwest’s contract also states that it will find a hotel room near the airport “at no additional cost to you” if you’re stranded overnight and it’s Southwest’s fault, although Paul Flaningan, a spokesman, said that such a determination is based on each situation.

Bottom line: Don’t expect your hotel costs to be covered; legally, the airlines have created lots of loopholes to avoid picking up the bill. But don’t hesitate to ask, because most airlines make these decisions on a case-by-case basis. ” (via nytimes.com ) by SUSAN STELLIN

Pointswizard.com Spin: Click here to read the rest of When is a cancellation the airline’s fault?

Click here for a post we did on Rule 240

2. Look at your own airline’s flights. As noted above, if most airlines are canceling flights and a carrier claims they will fly all their planes, that’s not realistic. But if they are keeping just one or two planes scheduled then they usually have some expectation of getting them aloft. Delta and American today, for example, each had ONE flight make it from JFK to San Francisco.

3. How big a plane are you booked on? If an airline is canceling some percentage of their flights due to weather, they will try to fly the biggest planes to get the most people to their destinations. Also, commuter planes are more likely to have problems flying in iffy weather.” (via consumertraveler.com ) by JANICE HOUGH

Pointswizard.com Spin: Click here to read more about - 6 clues that your flight may be canceled or not

Answer: As airlines look to cut capacity, a lot are rescheduling passengers on other flights — but some aren’t advising passengers of the changes ahead of time, according to Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com.

But before you even get to the airport, there are several things you can do to prevent a potentially messy experience.
Story continues below ↓advertisement

Banas recommends signing up for alerts through your airline or a booking Web site (such as Orbitz, Travelocity or Expedia) to keep you informed about your flight and any changes. These alerts, which can be directed to an e-mail address, cell phone or PDA, are especially important as your flight time approaches, Banas said.

If your flight is canceled completely for a reason within the airline’s control (read: not weather), Banas suggests being prepared with some information that can get you on another flight as soon as possible.

First, take a look at flights leaving around the time of your departed flight. It’ll save you time and effort at the airport if your flight gets canceled, and will give you a leg up when negotiating for a change to your ticket.

She also recommends printing out the airlines’ “Contract of Carriage” before you arrive at the airport. This contract will spell out what your rights are in the event of a canceled flight.

Fact File
A look at U.S. airlines’ domestic capacity cuts

AirTran Airways: Plans for capacity to fall 7 percent to 8 percent between September and December.

Alaska Airlines: Its parent company has said the carrier’s fourth-quarter mainline capacity will be cut by 5 percent compared with 2007.

American Airlines: Plans to cut its U.S. flying by up to 12 percent after the busy summer travel season ends.

Continental Airlines: Its plans include reducing flights in the U.S. this fall by about 10 percent.

Delta Air Lines: It has said it intends to cut domestic capacity by 13 percent during the second half of the year. A spokeswoman said a good portion of that would come during the fall.

JetBlue Airways: It has said it expects September capacity to be down 10 percent and does not expect to grow next year.

Northwest Airlines: It is planning to cut fourth-quarter consolidated domestic capacity by 7 percent to 8 percent.

United Airlines: Fourth-quarter mainline domestic capacity will shrink 16 percent compared with the previous year.

US Airways: It will reduce capacity 6 percent to 8 percent on domestic flights in the fourth quarter.
Source: The Associated Press
Although each airline has a slightly different contract of carriage, most airlines will rebook you on a flight within four hours of the original flight. If the airline can’t rebook you within that time, you can ask for a hotel voucher. Food vouchers are also negotiable.

When you get word of that canceled flight, Banas recommends calling the airline right away. Standing in the customer service line with hundreds of other passengers will likely cause you more headaches and might not get you the speedy change you would like. Instead, Banas suggests doing both: Dial the airline on your cell phone while you’re standing in the customer service line.” ( via www.msnbc.msn.com )

Pointswizard.com Spin: read more from this article

see our previous post on this click here