BALTIMORE — Holiday crowds slowed down travelers, now it's the snow.
BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport deployed 150 employees to operate specialized vehicles and snow melters to clear airport runways and taxiways. Delays averaged around an hour with nearly 200 cancellations as of 2 p.m. on Monday, according to FlightAware.
“It is in your best interest to act with speed,” said Katy Nastro, a travel expert and spokeperson with Going.com.
Nastro recommends travelers check the forecast several days before their flight, and come up with a backup plan.
“Having what I like to call a 'fallback flight' in mind for those just in case scenarios, so you can act as quickly as possible to get yourself rebooked and make those changes,” said Nastro.
But if you choose not to rebook a cancelled flight, you're entitled to a full refund.
“This refund should be credited back to your credit card within seven business days, which is a lot shorter than what we've seen in the past,” Nastro said.
This is part of a federal rule that took effect last October guaranteeing automatic refunds when there are significant disruptions. According to the Department of Transportation, a significant disruption is defined as three hours or more for domestic flights, and six hours or more for international flights.
“Despite some carriers having a bit more generous policy in the past, it is clear as day now what exactly a significant delay means and you don't have to remember carrier to carrier what their policies are,” said Nastro.
The rule creates universal standards, however airlines can choose to lower their threshold. Travelers may also be entitled to refunds for significant baggage delays or when extra services are paid for but not provided.
Katy also recommends flying out on the first flight, they have a higher on-time arrival rate.
And if you need to rebook, contact customer service as soon as possible and through multiple outlets. While standing in line at the airport, tweet at the airline and call. Sometimes you can reach someone faster through the international customer service number.
The Department of Transportation created an airline customer service dashboard outlining airlines commitments to travelers. To view it, click here.
And click here for additional information on the automatic refund rule and when it applies.