BOSTON – Some travelers at Logan Airport were left stranded after more than 2,000 flights were canceled and 20,000 were delayed across the country on Monday.
“I don’t fly very often for this very reason,” traveler Susan Burnett said.
The Delta terminal at Logan was swamped with people upset about their travel experience. The Burnett family has been trying to get home to Memphis since yesterday, but they haven’t received the treatment they expected with their first-class tickets.
“We want a voucher for tonight because you can’t get us out today. They’ve put us on a flight tomorrow through LaGuardia, but they’re right now refusing to give us a second night voucher,” Susan Burnett said.
The Benning family is still hoping they can find a flight for the same day.
“Delta has not been real helpful. They just sent us a text that said, ‘Your flight is canceled, sorry. Your options are to rebook 48 hours from now.” There’s no controlling the weather, but I think Delta has not been helpful,” traveler Marsha Boehning said.
What to do if your flight is cancelled or delayed
AAA Northeast spokesperson Mark Schieldrop says it is important for travelers to know their rights when it comes to flying.
“It’s been an interesting travel weekend. The weather has a lot of blame this weekend. This is on the heels of that system-wide internet outage that really disrupted business but Delta in particular,” Schieldrop continued. “You can find it [a list of what to do] on their websites or the Apps for each airline. It lists basically what your rights are, but generally, when there is an Act of God situation like this, most airlines will try and get you on another flight,” he said.
He also recommends that people get travel insurance and always read the fine print because each airline has its own conditions.
“You have to be careful when you book travel insurance; you have to read the fine print and make sure it will cover trip cancellation or delays and additional expenses. It could even include meals,” he said.
Schieldrop also said that airlines are not necessarily required to cover any overnight expenses when a flight is delayed or canceled, and that is why they strongly recommend travel insurance.
He emphasizes it’s best to work with a travel agent when booking vacations, but if you’re doing it on your own, it’s important to be persistent.
One tip Schieldrop had was for travelers to call airlines while they wait in line to speak to a ticket agent at a physical desk so they can have the best chance to get on the next available flight.
