FLYING HASSLES LEFT YOU IN A FLAP?

Whip-sawed last weekend by a combination of end-of-the-month crew scheduling snafus, maintenance delays and stormy weather, USAirways was forced to cancel more than 10 percent of its flight schedule Saturday. On Sunday, less than one flight in four was able to depart on time.  The huge disruption sent passengers at airports around the country scurrying to make alternative arrangements. The fact that several other major airlines were experiencing similar difficulties compounded the problem into a near-chaos situation, as numerous passengers trying to fly in or out of Pittsburgh International Airport bore witness.  The airlines say these schedule meltdowns were an anomaly, and the worst problems are behind them. Yet questions remain in the minds of passengers concerned about airline travel predictability.

What responsibility does an airline have to get passengers to their scheduled destination on time? What rights do passengers have when a flight is delayed or canceled? What can travelers do to avoid travel debacles like those experienced last weekend?  The short answer is not much.  Although airlines are always happy to trumpet their good on-time performance, they don't actually guarantee their schedule. And the FAA provides airlines with considerable latitude to adjust their published schedules, especially on flights delayed or canceled due to safety issues, such as mechanical problems and bad weather.  When such a situation occurs, an airline is obligated only to try to inform passengers of the problem and make every effort to get them to their destination as soon as it can. Typically, these changes occur at the last minute, making it nearly impossible for the airline to call everyone, even if it has a contact number in its files.  Getting passengers to their final destination may mean putting them on that carrier's next flight out, on the next available flight of another carrier or, in an increasing number of incidents, on a bus to their destination airport. The airline is under no obligation to compensate passengers for their inconvenience, reimburse them for losses suffered because of the delay or provide for their comfort during the wait.  Sometimes, a carrier may give passengers who demand them meal vouchers, free phone calls or even a hotel room if they're stranded overnight. But as flight cancellations seems to be rising, airlines seem increasingly stingy about such compensation.  The Department of Transportation has rules governing what happens when ticketed passengers show up at the airport on time, then are involuntarily bumped from an overbooked flight and end up more than two hours late to their destination, but none applies when the entire flight is delayed or canceled.  Actually, there is a difference in how airlines accomodate various passengers in these situations, based on factors that include the ticket price. Passengers holding full-fare tickets usually get priority over those traveling at a discount. And passengers using frequent flyer coupons, consolidator tickets, stand-by tickets and other irregular revenue ticketsgo to the end of the list.  Electronic tickets pose another problem. Passengers with a traditional paper ticket can present the flight coupon to a second carrier as payment on another flight. But reservation confirmation numbers and e-ticket vouchers aren't transferable between carriers.  To reduce your chance of getting caught in an airline travel nightmare:  * * Avoid routings that involve several or tight connections. Flights that depart earlier in the day are less likely to be delayed by traffic and offer more chance to make alternative arrangements.  * Until carriers work out the kinks in their crew scheduling, it might be wise to avoid flights during the final days of a month.  * Call the airline to check your flight's status before leaving for the airport. While that won't protect against changes, delays and cancellations, it will let you make adjustments earlier and possibly save many anxious hours at the airport.


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