'In the past 20 years, those contracts have gotten much harder to read, they've gotten lengthier, and they've gotten much weaker from a consumer standpoint.' Over the summer, he joined other consumer advocates taking their case to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. In the United States, you are at the mercy of the contract of carriage,' said William McGee, an aviation adviser to Consumer Reports who has pushed for an air passenger bill of rights for years. Hotel and meal vouchers and expense reimbursement are up to individual airline policies spelled out in dozens of pages of legalese known as a contract of carriage.

Rules covering refunds for cancellations and significant flight delays by the airline are dictated by the U.S. There is a disconnect between what passengers think they are owed and what airlines owe them when flight plans go haywire due to a patchwork of federal regulations and airline policies. в–єSouthwest flight canceled? Here's why the airline won't put you on another carrier в–єSouthwest apologizes for cancellations: Five-hour wait times, flight shopping and a rental car rush amid weekend woes

Southwest offered stranded travelers an array of refunds, flight credits and travel vouchers, but for customers who had to book flights on other airlines, stay extra hotel nights, rent cars to drive home or miss out on time-sensitive plans, that may not be enough, and it can be confusing to figure out what they are owed. EDT, according to FlightAware, which tracks cancellations and delays worldwide in real time. One in 10 Southwest flights was canceled Monday, and more than 1,000 flights were delayed as of 3:30 p.m. Many Southwest passengers weren't where they wanted to be when they woke up Monday morning after a weekend of flight cancellations that stretched into a third day.

Southwest airlines cancellations