How do airlines decide which flights to cancel?

The system looks at crew resources, passengers connections, and airport resources and develops a plan for delays that ultimately leads to the most completed flights. Lock explained that the first thing they look for is optimizing crew, and that they try not to extend employee trips.



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Thunderstorms, snow, rain, and fog can decrease a pilot's ability to navigate and land a flight safely. Flights can even be canceled because it's too hot to fly. There's also some evidence that weather is a convenient excuse for airlines to cancel a flight when there's something else going on.

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On the reverse, Southwest Airlines had the highest rate of cancellation with a staggering 14.6%, after a massive system meltdown in December. This was followed by Alaska Airlines with 7.6% and Allegiant Air at 5.3%.

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Airlines only cancel flights when they feel the REALLY need to. Sometimes that means they hold off on cancellations hoping things improve If things don't improve, you end up with last minute cancellations.

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In 2022, 2.7 percent of all U.S. domestic flights were canceled—the highest rates in the past decade, not counting 2020. Another 23 percent of all domestic flights were delayed, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

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Frontier Airlines has had the worst on-time arrival performance so far in 2023. Just 65.41% of Frontier flights arrived on time from January through April 2023.

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According to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (which currently only has numbers through May), 20.8 percent of flights were delayed so far in 2023, compared to 18.8 percent in 2019.

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There are several reasons why flights may be canceled, including bad weather, air traffic restrictions, lack of airplane or staff, technical problems, and low passenger numbers.

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“Ask the airline to put you up in a hotel or give you a hotel voucher. They might do it; they might not. It's not required by law,” Keyes said. They're less likely to do it if it's weather related, he said, than if the problem is a mechanical issue with the plane or staffing issues.

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When flight delays or cancellations occur, airlines are often responsible for providing accommodation to affected passengers. The process of arranging accommodations can vary depending on the airline's policies and the specific circumstances of the delay.

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The 24-hour rule is a regulation from the US Department of Transportation that says airlines must offer either free 24-hour price hold (so you can lock in the price and purchase within 24 hours) or free cancellation for 24 hours.

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It's possible thanks to the 24-hour flight cancellation rule. The Department of Transportation's 24-hour refund regulation states that all airlines flying in the U.S., even international carriers, must issue a full refund if the reservation is canceled within a one-day window of booking.

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“Flight delays can be uncertain and, depending on the reason for the delay, flights can on occasion depart earlier than the original delay estimate,” said Tomasz Pawliszyn, chief executive of AirHelp, an online service that helps passengers obtain compensation.

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Based on flight status data, flights after 3 p.m. have a 50 percent higher chance of being canceled, on average, than those that depart earlier in the day. Early morning on-time performance is all thanks to the thin air traffic.

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#1 Delta Airlines - The US' Most Reliable Airline Although Delta scored top overall, the airline is steadily in the middle of the pack for mishandled bags. They also rank among the worst for denied boarding, but the percentages are very small - 0.05% in 2022 and 0.07% in 2023.

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According to data gathered by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the best time to fly is between 6 and 7 a.m. Flights with scheduled departures in that timeframe arrived just 8.6 minutes late, on average. Meanwhile, flights that take off before 6—or between 7 and 8 in the morning—are fairly punctual, too.

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Inclement weather, such as thunderstorm, hurricane, or blizzard. Late arrival of the aircraft to be used for the flight from a previous flight. Maintenance problems with the aircraft. Security issues.

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Domestic airline prices are on the decline in 2023, finally retreating after spiking just a year ago. International fares are still high. After soaring in 2022, prices for domestic airline tickets are on the descent.

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Your chances of being involved in a fatal plane crash are incredibly small – around 1 in 11 million, according to Harvard researchers. While your odds of being in a plane accident are about 1 in 1.2 million, survivability rates are about 95.7% – so the odds are with you no matter how you look at it.

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