BySuzanne Rowan Kelleher

BySuzanne Rowan Kelleher,
Forbes Staff.
Bad weather—from thunderstorms in Dallas to “low ceilings” on the East Coast—caused thousands of flight delays Thursday, frustrating travelers for a second day running.
Bad weather causes more flight delays than any other factor.
As of 3:45 p.m. EDT on Thursday, there were nearly 3,900 flight delays and more than 250 cancellations in and out of U.S. airports, according to FlightAware.
Earlier in the afternoon, thunderstorms caused 30-minute delays at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System dashboard.
On the East Coast, ground delays due to “low ceilings”—referring to a layer of clouds thick enough to potentially restrict visual flight rules—were in place at New York’s JFK and LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia and Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
Airports reporting triple-digit delayed departures Thursday afternoon include Newark, New York’s LaGuardia, Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston Logan, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, Chicago O’Hare and Charlotte/Douglas.
Mid-June to the end of August typically marks “high season” for flight disruptions due to thunderstorms and high temperatures, which coincides with the busiest travel season. Thursday’s 3,400 disrupted flights represent roughly 8% of the roughly 45,000 flights the FAA handles per day.
Whenever possible, avoid afternoon and evening flights, which tend to be delayed more often than morning departures. “Statistically, every hour you wait, the chance of a delay gets worse,” Kathleen Bangs, a former commercial pilot and current spokesperson at FlightAware, told Forbes.
The Department of Transportation requires airlines to provide passengers with refunds in the event of flight cancellations and significant delays—but only when the disruption was due to circumstances within the airline’s control. Weather-related flight delays and cancellations are not covered, leaving passengers on their own unless they can take advantage of a change waiver or purchased travel insurance in advance of their trip.
The Smart Traveler’s Survival Playbook For Summer Flight Cancellations (Forbes)

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