Why are so many flights delayed today?

There are five broad categories that the airlines officially categorize a flight delay;

1. Air Carrier Delay: The reason for the delay was in the airline’s control.
2. Security: Security issues such as when required to evacuate the airline or even the airport premises.
3. Extreme Weather: Snow, thunderstorms, fog, high winds, etc.
4. Late-arriving traffic: Due to the late arrival of the previous flight (same aircraft), the present one departs late.
5. National Aviation System (NAS): Heavy air traffic, traffic control, airport operations are monitored by the NAS, which can sometimes delay flights.

Note: Delays due to maintenance might take up a few hours, but bad weather delays can last days.

Non-Weather Related Delays

Usually, when you try to find the reason for flight delays, you get vague responses like “operational reasons” or “technical reasons.”

Some of these reasons are;

Air Traffic Control

Flight delays are a given in such immense air traffic, especially for longer flights since these are subjected to stricter regulations.

Airport equipment such as radar is crucial for the movement of planes. Not all parts of the world have airport tech as of the US and Europe.

Sometimes, to ensure safe landing and take off, less wealthy airports take up more time than usual. And one delayed flight can cause a chain reaction of delayed or canceled flights.

An event like this falls under extraordinary circumstances. The airline is not responsible for such delays.

Technical Problems

Safety first!

Suppose an airline is taking up time to double-check the aircraft’s condition. More power to them because the alternative is dark and full of terrors.

Yes, we have much more advanced technology in the 21st century, but technical defects happen.

Forget airline companies; even NASA faces technical problems regularly.

Whenever there is such a technical issue, it needs to be rectified and adequately documented. Strict protocols need to be followed, which might take up time and cause delays.

Regardless, the maintenance of planes needs to be efficient. The airline is responsible for it.

(Interestingly, Southwest Airlines had classified mechanical errors as an ‘Act of God’ in their contract of carriage, ridding them of related liabilities. But, when this news became public, the airline had to clarify that mechanical difficulties referred to air traffic control problems, which are beyond the airline’s control.)

Resting the Flight Crew

Naturally, sometimes the crew is short, and some members fill in for others. After back-to-back flights, the airline might need to rest them to save them from exhaustion.

Remember, the margin for error is minimal in aviation operations.

Delays by Passengers

Sometimes, the luggage has been checked in, but its owner is missing. That’s a liability at the airport, to find the owner or unload the luggage. The airport staff is actually trying to help this person.

Talk about help, sometimes passengers face medical emergencies, which can create serious problems for everyone involved. The crew has to handle such situations which can cause flight delays.

Summer flight delays

There are more Google searches for “Why is my flight delayed?” in Summers than in any other season.

Let’s see why that’s the case;

1. Hot air makes lift-off difficult: Hot air is less dense, making the wind under the wings sparse. The result is that the plane needs more runway space to achieve lift-off speed. And clearing the runway for extra space can cause delays.
2. Rain and Thunder: June and July are the peak months for flight delays. Rain and thunderstorms during these months, a.k.a ‘convective weather’ stretch flight duration. While flying, when the pilots approach such a weather patch, they try to go over it. But during summers, these turbulent pockets are way up in the sky, making it difficult to fly over these, so they go around it, extending flight duration.
3. Holidays! Of course: More people travel around in summers, which means more passengers, longer boarding time, and longer unloading of luggage. In short, the plane takes longer to take-off.

Winter flight delays

Although less frequent than summer-related delays they do happen because of;

2. High Wind: Even when it’s not snowing, high winds can cause pilots’ visibility problems. Crosswinds during flights are generally not a problem but landing and take off are riskier; airlines might have to cancel or delay flights if snow is drifting or blowing. High winds usually don’t cause delays, but if there is ice on the tarmac, these winds can be dangerous, which may cause tarmac delays. And lastly, the strong winter winds called the ‘bomb cyclone’ are powerful enough to cause extreme turbulence, which causes flight delays.

3. Aircraft Icing: Ice can form on the plane, which can create mechanical problems. Smaller planes are prone to such problems. Ice formed on airplanes’ wings, and the windshield is a serious problem and needs to be addressed, hence the flight delays.

What should you do when your flight is delayed?

In an apples-to-apples comparison between E.U. and U.S., EU air passengers have more privileges.

For instance, if a flight is delayed in Europe for more than three hours, the passengers are entitled to delayed flight compensation.

If the same happens to a domestic flight in the US, you cannot claim compensation. However, if the delay is unusually long, you might ask the airline for free meals or even a hotel stay if there’s an overnight delay.

But bear in mind that the law does not obligate them to do so. They are required, however, to update the flight status within 30 minutes (or sooner) after becoming aware of the delay.

Refund is a Grey Area in the U.S.

According to the U.S. DOT (Department of Transportation), you might be eligible for a refund, including all paid fees such as baggage fees or seat upgrades if the delay is unusually long.

However, DOT has not defined a ‘significant delay.’ DOT determines if a request is eligible for a full refund on a case-by-case basis, after checking the duration of delay, the passenger’s circumstances, etc.

European Privilege for U.S. Air Passengers

1. Your flight should have been delayed for more than three hours.
2. You should have departed from an EU airport, or you must have traveled with an EU regulated airline to an EU airport.
3. Flight should not have been delayed due to any reasons beyond the airline’s control.

To claim flight delay compensation, you may reach out directly to the airlines’ customer service or the travel company you booked your ticket with, or any flight delay claim company (probably for a fee).

Before asking for compensation, check the amount that you can claim.

Search in Google for Flight Delay Compensation Calculator and click any one result. Enter your flight no. and flight date, and within 2 to 3 minutes, you can find your compensation amount to claim.

I hope you enjoyed the article on “Why so many flights are delayed today?”

You might also be interested to read the articles below:

• My flight was delayed, Can I claim compensation?
• Airhelp or ClaimFlights, Who pays best payout?
• What are my rights, if my flight is canceled?
• How much can I claim for flight delays?

Happy flying!