ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- It's the peak of storm season, and bad weather can make air travel frustrating and tedious, with flight delays and cancellations.

  • Canceled-flight compensation varies per airline, reason for cancellation
  • All airlines post their 'Contracts of Carriage' on their websites
  • Act quickly and reach out to airline via all available channels

"Oh, it's very frustrating," airline customer David Harris says.

Delays can be bad enough, but when your flight is canceled, it's "pretty terrible, to be honest," Rhatia Carr says. "You lose an entire day."

Each airline has its own policies on compensation, posted online in a document called a "Contract of Carriage," which essentially says that the cause of a cancellation matters. 

If it's what's called a "force majeure" event -- or an act of God, out of a carrier's control, such as a storm, government action, a strike, for example -- a traveler will have limited resources for compensation.

"No compensation, nothing. I had to keep going back to the same hotel and get a room that I had just checked out of," Harris says.

"Then you just have an airport full of people sleeping around on the benches and the chairs and the floor. I've seen that before, too," Carr says.

Many airlines list force majeure events in their contracts. Delta's list is typical: weather conditions or acts of God; riots, civil unrest, embargoes, war, hostilities, or unsettled international conditions; strikes, work stoppages, slowdowns, lockout, or any other labor-related dispute; government regulation, demand, directive or requirement; shortages of labor, fuel, or facilities.

Most airlines will rebook a traveler for free on their next available flight or give them a refund if you have to cancel your trip. 

But don't expect meal vouchers or hotel accommodations for an "act of God" event.

The best thing to do is act quickly. 

If you're at the airport, get in line at the customer service counter, but also call their customer service line at the same time so you can get through to whichever one is quicker. 

Also, at the same time, go online or use an app to start searching all the possible flights to your destination -- even on other airlines. 

Carriers are not obligated to put you on another airline, but if you can offer them an easy solution to get to your destination, they're more likely to agree.

"You got to ask. If you don't ask, they certainly are not going to give it to you," Harris says.

If the flight cancellation is due to something in the airline's control -- such as plane changes, crew shortages, mechanical problems -- most airlines will tend to your needs in the event of an extended delay in finding an available seat. Typically, they offer meal vouchers for delays of four hours or more, or hotel accommodations for extended delays in finding an alternative seat, or even travel vouchers.

Also, check to see whether the credit card you used to book the trip offers trip delay protection, which can provide you with compensation.

Don't underestimate the power of social media to get the airline's attention. If you're having a bad experience, go to Facebook or Twitter and reach out to your carrier. Be polite but explain the issue, and customer service may reach out to you to help.

One thing you can push for to get you to your destination is to have the airline provide you with a flight on another carrier or to provide ground transportation that will leave sooner than their next available flight. Delta, for example, lists this as a possible option in their contract, but it says this is at their "sole discretion."

If the next seat to your original destination is not available within a reasonable time, many airlines will agree to put you on an earlier available flight to a nearby destination.

One last tip: Keep your cool. It can be incredibly frustrating when your flight is canceled, but getting aggressive with an agent won't help and could make things worse. Your best bet is to stay calm and come with suggestions for possible solutions.

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