Many vacationers choose to travel by air, because it can get them to their destinations in the shortest time possible. In most cases, air travel is indeed the most efficient form of transportation, but there are times when unexpected things happen, and passengers may not arrive at their final destinations on time. One of the most common problems that are encountered by airline passengers is flight delay.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics has revealed that 18.75% of all commercial flights that took place in the United States in 2009 were delayed, and this means that flight delays occur about once in every five flights. Flight delays can happen because of a number of reasons, and these include aircraft arriving late, adverse weather conditions, security delay, National Aviation System delay, and others. Usually, airports with heavy air traffic have a higher rate of delayed flights.
Delay during air travel can range from a few minutes to hours. Flights are only considered delayed if they arrive at their intended destinations more than 15 minutes late. Most passengers do not make any complaint if they arrive at their final destinations just a little later than expected. Those who need to connect to other flights are more concerned about flight delays, because they may not have enough time to make a successful connection if their first flights are delayed. Missing a connecting flight can cause a great deal of hassle for air passengers, and it may even force them to change or cancel their travel plans.
If the airline is responsible for a flight delay, it will try to get passengers who miss their connecting flights on the next flights to their final destinations. In the event that the economy class seats are full, it will upgrade the passengers to first class without charging additional fees. As such, most people who miss their connecting flights will arrive at the final destinations on the same day, probably just a few hours later than their scheduled arrivals. If there are no similar connecting flights on the same day, passengers will have to wait until the next day or even later to get on the next available flights.
Some airlines do offer reimbursement for financial losses that are incurred because of flight delays, but the compensation amount may be far from satisfactory. To make sure that you do not lose your travel investment because of flight delays, you should get a travel insurance policy that provides financial protection against flight delays as well as other unexpected incidents that can happen during travel. Travel insurance will give you complete peace of mind throughout your vacation.
