[tschwimmer]

I was affected. Taking off now for a 5:30pm PT flight to Seattle. Aside from clearly not having an appropriate disaster readiness plan, communication was bad even though some information was readily available. For example, there was an inbound ground stop for KSEA for hours, but it was never announced to passengers. We were very lucky the crew was fresh, and there was no discussion of when they would time out. I happened to find out that the crew had lots of time left so I decided to stay but at least a dozen people gave up and left.

Air travel sucks. I wasted 8 hours today and I won’t even get a lousy T shirt. I’m sure next time I can take my business to a different airline who will also be happy to not do any better.

[croemer]

For flights departing or arriving in the EU you get fairly nice compensation for significant delays (3+ hours) between 250 EUR (<1500km) and 600 EUR (>=1500km). Helps ensure incentives align beyond reputation.

[jddj]

Unless they claim, by noreply email, that it (eg. ATC strike in a 3rd country for which they had 2 weeks' notice) was out of their control and so no compensation is owed.

Then you get the pleasure of a phone tree that only allows the option of giving feedback about the noise on the plane or the cleanliness.

Then once you get through and manage to plead your case you'll get quarterly emails about how your case is in review and sorry about the delay but you should have news next week.

Not bitter.

[bsimpson]

I literally had to sprint across LIS airport (past the tax-free refund counter I had business at) to make an alternate flight, after waiting in line for 3 hours.

If I didn't run, I would have missed the alternate, and Airfrance would have owed me like 700EUR plus an overnight stay with meals. I did them a favor. I requested reimbursement for my missed tax refund (which was <100EUR); some guy in India told me they weren't legally obligated to reimburse me, and closed the ticket.

[hexbin010]

Often only if you are prepared to go as far as CEDR/MCOL.

European airlines are not forthcoming with that compensation /at all/. They have entire teams, procedures, policies, strategies etc to avoid paying out

[tschwimmer]

Tell me about it. Swiss air refuses to pay out 1800€ in EC261 compensation…

[Izikiel43]

That policy and a long delay I had going from Iceland to London made the whole airfare for the trip (canada to london and back) free. I think I even made money.

However, you have to be insistent, I first filed a complaint with the airline, and when they didn't comply in the given amount of time, I filed a complaint with their regulatory authority, and then suddenly the airline remembered me and gave me the money.

[keyle]

In Australia I think there is such a rule, so when they approach the deadline, short of an option: they just cancel the flight. It doesn't count as a delay, and won't affect their statistics of delays!

Some other airlines "swap planes" and do swapsies with every passengers, on every flights, if they get a morning delay; they trickle it down all day long. It's ridiculous seeing lines of people moving to another gate, all day. When your plane arrive at your gate, you know you're being moved to another line and the delayed passengers will get your plane. So that way, delays stay within the bounds!

Sickening, I'm never flying these airlines again.

[maest]

Equivalent protections have been dismantled by the Trump admin in the US.

I believe the argument is that regulation encumbers airlines and, instead, the free market will incentivise participants to handle outages and delayed flights in a competitive way.

[bsimpson]

Every flight I've taken in the last year has been a clusterfuck. I've spent damn near as much time in airports as I have in the air.

It seriously makes me not want to fly.

[Aeolun]

The trick is to only have 14 hour flights. Then almost any delay will feel rather small by comparison.

[bobthepanda]

If only we had ever actually been serious about reviving passenger rail, then we wouldn't have to fly.

Most intercity journeys in the US are the perfect distance for intercity or high speed rail, but the system has withered on the vine for so long.

[tehwebguy]

See if you can get some miles out of it. Alaska miles are still some of the most valuable for using on international partners.

[anonymous908213]

Travel insurance is -EV. For the average person who uses it, they will spend more than they recoup. Otherwise the insuring company holding their policy would, you know, not be in business. I don't think there's very much skill in opting in to a -EV bet. The purpose of insurance is to avoid catastrophic losses, which is not a factor in this anecdote.

[lpapez]

> I think politically, everyone would want airlines to have working IT-systems and they would probably want to pay $100 (rationally, closer to $1000) amortized over 50 years to pay for that, but apparently humanity is just too stupid to make it work.

Not stupid, just corrupt :)

If we did this, the money would get misappropriated or stolen - most likely completely legally through overpaid consulting fees.

So clearly we should pay someone to prevent that from happening.

Wait a minute...

[Nextgrid]

> they would probably want to pay $100 (rationally, closer to $1000) amortized over 50 years to pay for that

Which would just flow into the pockets of ClownStrike or some big consultancy and nothing would actually change.

[thuridas]

Just by forcing to compensate passengers accordingly they would start to care more.

What is the lost productivity for having so many people waiting on airports?

But that is consumer protection regulation and it is not going to happen in America in a few years

[thaumasiotes]

> someone should invent an anti-lead; something to put in the water supply to add 30 IQ points, but that would probably be punishable by death

Why do you think we add iodine to salt?