(WXYZ) — More airport chaos could be on the way as the summer travel season continues. It follows major cancellations and delays over Memorial Day weekend and the Fourth of July weekend.
Over the July 4 weekend, airlines canceled more than 2,200 U.S. flights and another 25,000 were delayed.
Many of the hiccups were blamed on weather and staffing shortages, so that begs the question, how are the airlines making good with passengers?
In some cases, they are contractually obligated to refund a customer. Here's the caveat, accepting a rebooking option voids the refund that the airline would otherwise have to prove.
Another huge problem is getting through to customer service, with people waiting hours on the phone before speaking to someone.
Amy Damian was on her way home from Portland after a 3-month stay. She had her son, Max, dog, Dolly, and six suitcases with her.
"I booked a red-eye flight from Portland to Detroit leaving at about 10 o'clock at night, you know getting in here at 6 in the morning, which was pretty easy, I had done it before," Damian said.
On the way to the airport, her Delta flight status went from on-time to canceled. She tried to call customer service and had a four-hour wait. Then she tried to chat with them. After three hours, she got through.
Her updated itinerary was changed from a direct flight to a flight from Portland to San Diego on Alaska Airlines, a United flight from San Diego to Chicago and then finally Chicago to Detroit.
"A total of three airplanes and 13-hour travel time to get home with a five-hour layover in San Diego," she said.
Damian has a heart condition that can act up under stress. Understandably, she wanted compensation, but they said it wouldn't happen until her trip was completed.
"They are supposed to compensate you in some fashion. It could be giving your money back, but a lot of times it should be even more than that," Cadillac Travel President David Fishman said.
He said airlines should pay for an overnight stay at a hotel and give you meal vouchers. But unfortunately, depending on the reason for the canceled flight, that's not always the case.
"It is always a moving target with some of this when it comes to exactly what they need to do, based on what specifically happened," He said.
Fishman said travel woes this severe used to be few and far between.
"The thing that amazes like literally there is no other flight for someone to get on for days," he said.
Another issue is flights being overbooked. In some cases, if you volunteer to get off, the payout can be big.
"It is very frustrating to see they are offering $2,000 for someone to give up their seat when I went through hell to get home and they've offered me $100, which will get me nowhere," Damian said.
That's right. After all that inconvenience and double-paying to fly with her dog on different airlines, Damian got a $100 travel voucher.
The Delta agent said that was all she was entitled to because the cancellation was weather-related.
It's important to note that every airline is different in terms of what they will provide or do if your flight is canceled, so read the fine print.
Fishman also suggests booking earlier flights and with airlines that have multiple flights a day going out to your destination.
Here is a full list of your rights per the U.S. Department of transportation.
