Booked flights, staffing shortages, bad weather, and a rise in Covid cases have all correlated to the epidemic of flight cancellations. Flight cancellations are yet another thing to worry about this year and many families have to put their lives on hold in order to find another flight or way home.
Millions of people have experienced a flight cancellation at least once in their life. To this day hundreds of flights are being canceled every week. Flight cancellations disrupt plans and also add more responsibilities for families to find a hotel room, food, and transportation from place to place.
Flight cancellations are already stressful enough but probably the most stressful part is
finding another flight or hotel room to stay in. Most airlines will refund their customers if a flight is canceled. However the majority of airlines don’t help pay for food or a hotel room in between flights. This leaves the customers to have to add extra expenses to their already expensive trip.
One cause of flight cancellations are shortages in staff, more specifically flight attendants. Flight attendants are responsible for ensuring the safety, security, and comfort of airline passengers. They play a crucial role in making sure the plane leaves and lands safely.
The reason for these staff shortages is the Covid-19 pandemic. With many staff contracting Covid and not being able to help out when needed has caused havoc amongst airline workers to find very much needed replacements. In response to this many airlines have a pay increase for people who have picked up extra shifts.
Bad weather has also had a negative impact on airlines and their ability to leave the airport on time. Blizzard-like conditions in the West and Eastern parts of the U.S. have made it difficult for the plane to leave the airport.
Winter storms have increased this year leading to many flights being forced to postpone to another time or day. Stress amongst people has resulted in backlash towards the directed airline for not responding at the appropriate time.
Some solutions to help lessen the amount of stress on people is for airlines to communicate with them days in advance of a flight being canceled. This helps prevent stressful searching and havoc from people to find another way home.
Good customer service is also needed in order to find reasonable rescheduling for a flight. Bad customer service often results in yelling and rageful behavior from people already fuming off their flight being canceled in the first place. Containing a calm tone and looking for the most appropriate time to reschedule helps create a more smooth transition between flights.
