A canceled flight can easily ruin your trip. Airlines in the U.S. are obligated to refund you if they cancel your flight and you don't accept their offer to rebook you on a future flight, but that's only for airfare. Airlines are not legally required to refund any prepaid hotel reservations, cruises or tours you might have missed because your flight was canceled.
Given that, it can be good practice to simply book flights less likely to get canceled. After all, air travel chaos like the massive Southwest Holiday Meltdown during the week following Christmas 2022, or the Federal Aviation Administration’s temporary shutdown a few weeks later, is not uncommon.
🤓Nerdy Tip
If the airline cancels or makes major changes to your flight, for any reason, you are eligible for a full refund under Department of Transportation regulations. The definition of "major changes" isn't totally clear, but in general, any schedule change of more than 24 hours should be eligible for a full refund.
So how do you improve your odds of traveling on a flight that arrives in good time? And how have flight delays and cancelations become so prevalent?
How to improve your chances of avoiding airline cancellations
Know which airlines actually arrive on schedule
While past performance doesn’t guarantee future performance, it’s at least a good indicator. NerdWallet analyzed BTS arrival data between January and March 2023 for the 10 largest U.S. airlines by passenger miles to determine each airline’s on-time arrivals rate.
Percent of on-time flights | Percent of delayed flights | Percent of canceled flights | |
|---|---|---|---|
Delta Air Lines | 79%. | 19%. | 1%. |
Southwest Airlines | 78%. | 20%. | 2%. |
United Air Lines | 77%. | 22%. | 1%. |
SkyWest Airlines (Delta regional airline) | 77%. | 20%. | 3%. |
Alaska Airlines | 76%. | 22%. | 2%. |
American Airlines | 75%. | 23%. | 2%. |
JetBlue Airways | 70%. | 28%. | 1%. |
Hawaiian Airlines | 70%. | 29%. | 1%. |
Spirit Airlines | 69%. | 29%. | 2%. |
Frontier Airlines | 65%. | 32%. | 2%. |
If timeliness is a priority, consider booking Delta or Hawaiian, which arrived on time 82% of the time. Skip JetBlue, which only landed on schedule 60% of the time.
Air carrier problems — meaning the issue was due to circ*mstances within the airline's control, such as maintenance, cleaning, baggage loading or fueling delays — were the top cause of late arrivals for the first four months of 2022, accounting for nearly 8% of delays.
» Learn more: The most reliable airlines this year, according to NerdWallet analysis
Book the earliest flight in the day
The second most common cause of delays: The aircraft arrived late from its previous destination.
It’s not uncommon for the aircraft flying an evening flight to have already made a couple of trips earlier in the day. If one of the earlier flights was delayed, there’d likely be a snowball effect.
For example, the aircraft’s first flight of the day may have been fine, but if the second flight had maintenance problems and arrived late, then the third flight would probably run behind schedule, which could in turn affect any subsequent flights. You can try to avoid the snowball effect by booking the day’s first flight.
Avoid layovers
Sadly, it doesn’t do you much good for the first leg of your flight to arrive on schedule if the second leg is delayed. Who wants to sit twiddling their thumbs in a layover city or airport?
It’s potentially even worse if the second leg of your journey departs on time, but you miss it because your incoming flight was delayed.
Mitigate this risk by booking nonstop flights. Even if the airfare is more expensive, it could be worth it to avoid the headache of missing a connecting flight.
If a layover is unavoidable, it’s almost always better to book the entire journey with the same airline on a single itinerary, as opposed to booking with separate airlines for each leg of the trip. That way, if your first flight ends up being delayed, the airline may work with you to adjust your connecting flight, provided that the delay was its fault. If you book the two legs of your trip on different airlines, you likely won’t get that kind of consideration.
» Learn more: What are layover, stopover and open jaw flights?
Choose an airline with multiple flights per day
If your flight is canceled, most airlines will rebook you on their next flight with available space for no additional charge, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. If your airline runs multiple flights on the same route per day, you may only have to wait a few hours. Sure, having to take a later flight would be annoying, but it likely wouldn't ruin your trip.
As an example, let's say you’re flying from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, a route that United usually flies four times per day. But you choose to take JetBlue, which typically only flies that route two times per day. If your ticket is for the single afternoon flight — and it then gets canceled — there’s a good chance you won’t be able to get to Vegas that day, period.
And no, you likely won't be able to persuade JetBlue to pay for one of United's remaining flights, as there are no federal regulations requiring airlines to put you on another airline's flight or reimburse you for another airline’s tickets.
What to do after booking
Even if you follow our advice to decrease the chances of your flight getting canceled (say, by booking the first, nonstop flight of the day on Delta — one of the most on-time airlines), you could still hit a patch of bad luck. These next steps might save you some headaches:
Check your flight status
To stay informed, opt-in to receiving flight status updates by email, text or push notification, a feature of some airline apps. Or, simply plug your flight number into a search engine to get real-time flight data.
If your flight is canceled, you might decide you’re better off staying put and booking a new flight from home rather than scrambling to do so at the airport. If your flight is delayed, you might simply head to the airport at a more leisurely pace. Just be sure to keep an eye on the flight status, because a flight marked delayed can sometimes revert back to being on time.
Don’t pack a checked bag (but do pack your patience)
If your initial flight gets canceled and you have to book a different airline’s last-minute flight, it might be difficult to retrieve a suitcase that’s still in the first airline’s hands. Traveling with a carry-on lets you move more nimbly between flights.
There is one thing you can pack that won’t take up any luggage space: patience. The gate agent likely isn’t responsible for the delay, so be kind — and they might be more likely to help book you on another flight.
Additionally, consider joining an airport lounge membership program like Priority Pass. (Membership is sometimes free with certain credit cards.) Lounge amenities — which sometimes include luxuries like nap suites, Peloton bikes, showers and buffets — can usually make it easier to stomach a long delay.
Understand your rights
If your flight is delayed or canceled, know what compensation you’re entitled to (as airlines sometimes compensate you for delays or cancelations, but not always). Sadly, it’s not much when it comes to delays; there are no federal laws requiring airlines to provide passengers with compensation for delayed flights.
Some airlines offer vouchers, such as meal vouchers or hotel vouchers to stranded passengers, but that's uncommon among budget airlines. Airlines are not required to reimburse you for non-air expenses, such as a prepaid hotel room or a missed cruise departure.
For canceled flights where you opt not to be rebooked on another flight, you are entitled to a refund of the airfare, even if you bought nonrefundable tickets.
» Learn more: What flight delay compensation you should get if you get stuck
Have a backup plan
Given that airlines aren’t legally required to do much to help you, understand how to help yourself. If your flight already has been canceled at the last minute, follow these steps.
For everyone else, you can plan in advance for a potential flight cancellation:
Map out nearby airports or alternative transportation: For example, if your in-state flight from Burbank to Oakland, California, gets canceled, you might be able to hail a cab to the airport in Los Angeles or Long Beach and catch a different flight. Look beyond airports too; you might give up on flying completely and hop on a train up north.
Book refundable travel: You may be able to book a refundable ticket if you're willing to pay extra. Otherwise, as long as you book a non-basic economy fare, you'll probably at least get a voucher to use on the airline toward another flight if you decide to change or cancel the flight due to itinerary changes.
Consider trip insurance: Travel insurance might help you get money back if a trip is canceled or delayed. It might also fund expenses incurred by delays, like an extra hotel room night. This can be helpful, say, if a hurricane prevents you from flying home from your Caribbean vacation, forcing you to book an additional night at your resort. Read the fine print, as many policies exclude delays caused by the airline. Some credit cards offer complimentary travel insurance benefits. If you don't have one of these cards or want higher limits, you can buy a policy.
Why are so many flights being canceled?
There are several reasons why there's been an uptick in flights being canceled, and there’s currently a lot of finger-pointing, too.
Contributing factors include:
Airline issues, like not having enough staff. Mechanical issues and delays may be compounded by staffing shortages.
The Federal Aviation Administration is also experiencing staffing issues. While a shortage isn’t to blame, the agency is still managing backups in training new air traffic controllers quickly enough. National Aviation System delays, such as heavy traffic volume or air traffic control challenges, account for about 5% of delays.
Weather. This issue is minor; weather delays have accounted for less than 1% of late arrivals so far this year.
Increased travel demand. If one aircraft previously flew two flights a day with a six-hour buffer between flights, the second flight wouldn’t be impacted, even if the first flight was delayed three hours. Now, if that same aircraft has increased its flight numbers to three a day with less downtime, even a short delay can severely impact future flights.
How to book better flights
On-time arrival rates haven’t been this bad since 2014. Unless you’ve got a crystal ball, there’s no way to guarantee you won’t book a flight that gets delayed. But even without one, a thoughtful booking strategy can better ensure you get to your destination on schedule.
In general, avoid layovers. Book the earliest flight in the day. And of course, book the airlines that have the best track record of on-time performance (or otherwise book with larger airlines that run multiple flights per day).
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023, including those best for:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee:Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Flat-rate travel rewards:Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
