Delays and cancellations of flights

Flight delay occurs when a flight takes off and/or lands later than its scheduled time. These delays are considered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) when the deviation from the scheduled time is 15 minutes. Flight cancellation happens when an airline does not operate the flight at all for a specific reason.

In the European Union, Regulation 261/2004 specifies that for flight delays exceeding three hours, cancellations, or denied boarding, passengers have the right to compensation ranging from 250 euros to 600 euros per traveler from the airline.

In the United States, when flights are canceled or delayed, passengers may be entitled to compensation under the rules each airline adheres to, usually Rule 240 or Rule 218 under specific conditions. These rules typically allow passengers to receive certain compensations, including free accommodation if the next available flight is scheduled for the next day, choice of payment method, re-routing, phone calls, and refreshments. When flights are delayed, the Federal Aviation Administration allocates slots for takeoff and landing based on the scheduled flight. The Department of Transportation imposes fines of up to $27,500 per passenger for airplanes left on the tarmac for more than three hours without takeoff (four hours for international flights). However, passengers are not entitled to direct cash compensation under U.S. law for delays. Instead, airlines are only required to cover passengers' accommodation costs if the delay or cancellation is due to their fault, not if it's beyond their control, such as weather conditions.

In Saudi Arabia, airlines are not allowed to delay flights unless required for security and safety reasons. Airlines must inform customers of flight delays before the departure time by a maximum of 45 minutes and specify the new departure time in the notification. If a customer is at a hotel during a flight delay, the airline must bear the costs of extending the hotel stay until the alternative departure time, inform the customer of the alternative departure time, and guide them on the procedures. In the case of a flight delay or potential delay exceeding six hours, the customer has the right to claim the treatment of the flight as a canceled flight, according to the provisions of flight cancellations. If the delay extends beyond the new departure time by more than six hours, the airline must extend the required care it provides to the customer, including beverages starting from the first hour, a suitable meal if the delay exceeds three hours from the originally scheduled departure time, and hotel accommodation and transportation to and from the airport if the delay exceeds six hours from the originally scheduled departure time.

the reasons

Starting from 2003, the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics has been monitoring the causes behind the delays of air travel. The surge in flight delays has been linked to a reduction in staff numbers, a consequence of financial challenges following the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Various factors contribute to flight delays or cancellations, encompassing:

1. Inherent operational issues within airline companies, identified as the primary culprit for flight delays according to a US Today analysis.
2. Air traffic congestion.
3. Natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis (e.g., the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the 2010 Chile earthquake, and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami).
4. Labor strikes.
5. Severe weather conditions such as thunderstorms, hurricanes, or snowstorms.
6. Delayed arrival of the intended aircraft for the flight from a preceding trip.
7. Maintenance complications with the aircraft.
8. Security-related concerns.
9. Acts of terrorism (e.g., suicide bombings as seen in the Domodedovo International Airport bombing, the 2016 Brussels bombings, and the 2016 Atatürk Airport attack).