Hurricane Milton weakened to a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday as it exited Florida, but the “storm of the century” is still impacting travel on Friday. Over 3,700 U.S. flights are delayed as of early Friday evening, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.
Milton made landfall late Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane, prompting the closures of airports, theme parks and more. In its wake, the hurricane left a path of destruction.
Earlier this week, U.S. airlines issued travel waivers for passengers going to or from some Florida airports. Some also added thousands of seats to help people evacuate the state before the storm hit.
It can be tricky for travelers to determine what they’re entitled to if their flight is delayed. Under Department of Transportation rules, airlines are required to give travelers a refund if their flight is canceled, but that doesn’t apply to delays. Compensation for significant delays are largely up to the airlines’ discretion.
Here’s what travelers should know about their rights due to flight disruptions.
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What happens if my flight is delayed?
Even though there’s no official policy on delays, airlines have committed some sort of compensation to travelers with significant delays to the DOT. The DOT will hold the airline accountable if they fail to uphold these. However, carriers define significant delays differently, so compensation will vary.
According to the DOT consumer dashboard, if a flight is significantly delayed for reasons within their control, Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United will rebook passengers on the same airline for no additional cost and provide a meal or meal cash or voucher for delays three hours or longer from departure time.
Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue and United have also committed to:
- rebooking passengers on a partner airline, at no extra cost
- providing complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- providing complimentary ground transportation to and from a hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
Allegiant, Hawaiian, Southwest and Spirit do not rebook travelers on partner airlines but offer the rest of the above.
Alaska, JetBlue and Southwest also offer credit or a travel voucher if a delay is more than three hours from the scheduled departure time.
Frontier will offer rebooking on the same airlines and a meal, but no hotel accommodations, transportation, or booking on other airlines.
What should I do if my flight is delayed?
Occasionally, airlines may offer compensation that exceeds their formal commitment to the Department of Transportation. Travelers should contact their airline directly to see what form of compensation they can receive if their flight is delayed from Milton. Travel insurance and some credit cards can also provide assistance in covering financial costs, like hotels, in the event of a significant delay.
Contributing: Eve Chen, USA TODAY
(This story was updated to include new information.)
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