Rule 21: Flight Delays, Changes, Cancellations, and Aircraft Changes (2024)

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Rule 21: Flight Delays, Changes, Cancellations, and Aircraft Changes

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  • Full Text
  • Rule 1: Definitions
  • Rule 2: General Provisions
  • Rule 3: Reservations and Ticketing
  • Rule 4: Cancellation of Reservations
  • Rule 5: Tickets and Flight Coupons
  • Rule 6: Fares
  • Rule 7: Check Acceptance
  • Rule 8: Guests with Disabilities and Breathing Devices
  • Rule 9: Wheelchairs and Other Assistive Devices
  • Rule 10: Service Animals
  • Rule 11: Screening of Guests and Baggage
  • Rule 12: Acceptance of Children and Infants
  • Rule 13: Refusal to Transport
  • Rule 14: No-Smoking Policy
  • Rule 15: Codeshare Flights
  • Rule 16: Interline Transportation
  • Rule 17: Carry-On Baggage
  • Rule 18: Checked Baggage
  • Rule 19: Acceptance of Dogs, Cats, and Household Birds for Travel
  • Rule 20: Liability and Claims
  • Rule 21: Flight Delays, Changes, Cancellations, and Aircraft Changes
  • Rule 22: Denied Boarding and Compensation Due to Oversales
  • Rule 23: Rerouting
  • Rule 24: Refunds
  • Rule 25: Customer Relations
  1. GENERAL RULES.
    1. Applicability. The provisions of this Rule 21, other than for Section (G) below, applies to you only if you have a Ticket and a confirmed reserved space on one of our flights and there is a flight delay, flight change, flight diversion, or flight cancellation. If you are a standby guest, your rights are governed by Section (G) of this Rule 21.
    2. Notification. We will promptly notify you of any delay, change, diversion, or cancellation of your confirmed reserved space as soon as reasonably possible after it is confirmed. However, we not liable for any misstatements or other errors or omissions in connection with providing that information.
    3. Schedules are Subject to Change Without Notice. Any times shown on Tickets, timetables, published schedules or elsewhere, as well as any aircraft type and similar details reflected on any Tickets or in any of our flight schedules are not guaranteed and are not a part of this contract. We may (i) substitute alternate carriers or aircraft, (ii) delay or cancel flights, and (iii) alter or omit stopping places or connections shown on the Ticket at any time.
    4. Liability. Except to the extent provided in this Rule 21, we are not liable for failing to operate any flight according to schedule, or for any change in flight schedule, with or without notice to you.
  2. DEFINITIONS. For this Rule 21, the following terms have the meaning indicated below:
    1. Connecting Carrier(s) means the carrier or combination of carriers on whose flight(s) you originally held or hold confirmed reserved space from a Connecting Point to a destination, next stopover or Connecting Point.
    2. Connecting Point means a point to which on one Ticket you hold or held confirmed reserved space on one carrier, and out of which you hold or held confirmed reserved space on the same or another carrier. All airports through which a city is served by any carrier will be deemed to be a single Connecting Point when the receiving carrier has confirmed reservations from the delivering carrier.
    3. Delivering Carrier means the carrier on whose flight you hold or held confirmed reserved space to a Connecting Point.
    4. Force Majeure Event means any of the following situations:
      1. Any condition beyond our control including, but not limited to meteorological or geological conditions, acts of God, riots, terrorist activities, civil commotions, embargoes, wars, hostilities, disturbances, or unsettled international conditions, either actual, anticipated, threatened, or reported, or any delay, demand, circ*mstances, or requirement due directly or indirectly to such condition.
      2. Any strike, work stoppage, slowdown, lockout, or any other labor-related dispute involving or affecting Hawaiian’s services.
      3. Any Government Law, demand, or requirement.
      4. Any shortage of labor, fuel, or facilities of Hawaiian or others.
      5. Damage to our Aircraft or equipment caused by another party.
      6. Any emergency requiring immediate care or protection for a person or property.
      7. Any event not reasonably foreseen, anticipated, or predicted by Hawaiian.
    5. Misconnection occurs at a Connecting Point when as part of a single Ticket for confirmed reserved space, the Delivering Carrier was unable to deliver you to the Connecting Point in time to connect with the Connecting Carrier.

      NOTE: The same rules apply at any subsequent point(s) of Misconnection as apply at the point of the original Misconnection.

    6. Irregular Operations means any of the following irregularities:
      1. Delay in scheduled departure or arrival of a carrier’s flight resulting in a Misconnection;
      2. Flight or service cancellation, omission of a scheduled stop, or any other delay or interruption in the scheduled operation of a carrier’s flight;
      3. Substitution of an aircraft type that provides a different class of service;
      4. Schedule changes which result in your reroute at the departure time of the original flight; or
      5. Cancellation of a reservation pursuant to Rule 4: Cancellation of Reservations.
  3. IRREGULAR OPERATIONS. The following rules apply to any Irregular Operation:
    1. Liability. Except as provided by law, we are not liable for any Irregular Operations.
    2. Delay, Misconnection or Cancellation. When your Ticket is affected by any delay, Misconnection or cancellation caused by Hawaiian, we will take one the following actions:
      1. we will transport you, subject to availability and without stopover, to your destination, next stopover point, or transfer point shown on our portion of your Ticket, in the same class of service, at no additional cost to you;
      2. in our sole discretion, we may arrange for you to travel on another carrier; or
      3. we will refund you in accordance with Rule 24: Refunds.

    NOTE: A cancellation caused by Hawaiian means (i) that a particular flight number for which you have a ticketed reservation is removed from our schedule or will not operate on one or more dates and (ii) we are unable to confirm you on an alternate flight(s) scheduled to depart within two hours before or after your originally scheduled departure time and arrive within two hours before or after your originally scheduled arrival time.  In this event, the receipt of a refund in lieu of travel credit is in your sole discretion if you refuse to be rebooked on another flight.

    NOTE: If we are unable to transport you in the same class of service as provided in Section (C)(2)(A) of this Rule 21, we will provide a refund of the difference in fare. See Rule 24(C)(1).

    NOTE: In the event you miss a flight on a Connecting Carrier on which space is reserved because the Delivering Carrier did not operate its flight as scheduled due to Irregular Operations or cancellation of its flight, the Delivering Carrier is responsible to arrange for your carriage or to make a refund.

  4. FORCE MAJEURE EVENT. In the event of a Force Majeure Event, we may cancel, terminate, divert, postpone, or delay any flight, right of carriage, or reservations (whether or not confirmed) without any prior notice to you and determine if any departure or landing should be made, without any liability to Hawaiian. We may re-accommodate you on another available Hawaiian flight or on another carrier or combination of carriers, or may refund any unused portions of your Ticket in the form of a travel certificate.
  5. AMENITIES AND SERVICES FOR DELAYED GUESTS. Subject to the exceptions listed in Section (E)(5) below of this Rule 21, we will provide certain amenities to you as follows in the in the event of a lengthy delay caused by us:
    1. Hotel Rooms. If (i) the delay is expected to exceed 3 hours and extend into the period 10:00 pm through 6:00 am, and (ii) no scheduled alternate transportation is available to your destination or stopover point, we will provide one-night’s lodging at an accommodation we select, provided, however, that we will not provide lodging for you if you reside in the city where the delay occurs.
    2. Meals. We will provide you with one meal voucher if the delay will extend beyond three (3) hours. No alcoholic beverages will be provided to any guests.
    3. Ground Transportation. When lodging is provided to you in accordance with Section (E)(1) above of this Rule 21 and ground transportation is not furnished by the hotel, then, if available, we will provide ground transportation to the place of lodging or reimburse you for reasonable transportation expenses when accompanied by a receipt. Where ground transportation has been offered but not accepted by you for whatever reason, we are not liable to reimburse you for expenses relating to alternative ground transportation secured by you.
    4. Alternatively. We may provide you a with a travel credit in lieu of any of the above. Your acceptance of a travel credit indicates your waiver of any of the above amenities. Travel credit (i) will be valid for travel only on Hawaiian within 365 days of the date of issue, (ii) will apply only to online transportation via Hawaiian, (iii) may not be endorsed to or accepted by any other carrier, and (iv) is not refundable, nor saleable, transferable, or assignable by you.
    5. Exceptions.
      1. Force Majeure Event or Weather. The provision of the above amenities does not apply when a flight is delayed because of a Force Majeure Event or because of weather conditions, unless:
        1. You are deplaned by us at a point other than your Connecting Point, destination, or point of origin;
        2. Your onward transportation on us is delayed or cancelled at a Connecting Point intermediate to your destination; or
        3. In our sole discretion, we believe that special circ*mstances require the provision of such amenities (e.g. for unaccompanied children, elderly persons, invalids, and incapacitated and/or ill guests, and qualified individuals with a disability, to maintain the safety, health and welfare of such guests).
      2. You Accept the Delay Risk. We will not provide any of the above amenities, when a Hawaiian flight is delayed, cancelled, or diverted in a situation where you elected to fly after being informed prior to boarding that environmental conditions at the airport of destination will be such that, at the time of arrival of your flight, the airport may be closed, or that weather conditions may cause your flight to be diverted. If (i) you hold a confirmed reserved space and (ii) while at the airport, and after being informed of the above risk, you elect not to travel, we will provide you ground transportation from the airport, back to your residence or hotel only. No other amenities will be provided.

      NOTE: If you are at a Connecting Point and Hawaiian is the Connecting Carrier, we will provide you with the above amenities, whether (i) you elect to remain at the Connecting Point or (ii) you elect to travel and are landed at a point other than your final destination or stopover point.

  6. CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR LENGTHY TARMAC DELAYS. We are committed to providing our customers with a service quality and on-time performance level that ranks among the highest in the industry. The impact of weather, air traffic flow control, airport operations, and safety factors have occasionally caused tarmac delays. We have adopted detailed plans to manage and minimize lengthy tarmac delays, while providing a safe and pleasant travel experience to our customers. A copy of our Contingency Plan for Lengthy Tarmac Delays can be found at HawaiianAirlines.com/legal/tarmac-delays.
  7. STANDBY GUESTS.
    1. Liability. Except to the extent provided in Section (G)(2) below of this Rule 21, we are not liable for failing to operate any flight according to schedule, or for any change in flight schedule, with or without notice to you.
    2. Your Options. Whenever we fail to operate any flight according to schedule or change the schedule of any flight, we will, at your request, either:
      1. transport you on another of our flights on which space is available; or
      2. refund you an amount determined in accordance with Rule 24: Refunds upon surrender of the unused portion of your Ticket.
Rule 21: Flight Delays, Changes, Cancellations, and Aircraft Changes (2024)

FAQs

What are your rights if your flight is canceled or changed? ›

If your flight gets cancelled by the airline, you are entitled to receive either a full ticket refund or a new flight. If the flight is cancelled after you have already arrived at the airport, you are also entitled to care.

Do airlines have to refund cancelled flights due to weather? ›

Department of Transportation rules require all airlines to offer customers a refund if their flights are canceled for any reason, but customers may be entitled to additional compensation if a cancellation is within the airline's control. Weather is outside of airline control.

What is the aviation rule for flight delay? ›

If your flight has been delayed for 2 hours or more, you are entitled to free-of-charge meals or refreshments, depending on the duration of your wait. If your domestic flight has kept you waiting for over 6 hours, the airline must communicate a reschedule time more than 24 hours before the original scheduled departure.

Am I entitled to compensation if my flight is cancelled? ›

You're legally entitled to get compensation if the cancellation is the airline's responsibility and both the following apply: the replacement flight delays your arrival by 2 or more hours. your flight was cancelled less than 14 days before departure.

What happens if an airline changes your flight? ›

If the change is significant enough and there are no other flights that work with your schedule, you do have the option to request a cash refund (even with a normally non-refundable basic economy fare). Again, this varies by airline; for United it's two hours, for Delta it's 90 minutes and for American it's 4 hours.

Do you have to accept flight changes? ›

Passengers victim of a minor schedule change have generally no choice but to accept it. If this happens to you, feel free to ask for a refund or an alternate flight, but keep in mind that you are not covered by any law and the airline doesn't have the obligation to refund or reroute you on a different flight.

Do airlines have to pay for hotels if a flight is cancelled? ›

In addition, every airline except Frontier is committed to complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation. Otherwise, here's what you can expect from different carriers for a "controllable cancellation," per the U.S. Department of Transportation website. Yes.

What do airlines owe you for cancelled flights? ›

If an airline cancels your flight less than 14 days before departure and you choose to cancel your trip entirely, you're entitled to a refund of both your plane ticket and any pre-paid baggage fees (in most cases). This typically applies even if you have non-refundable tickets.

Can an airline refuse to refund a cancelled flight? ›

No matter the cause — weather-related or not — airlines must pay passengers back for the unused portion of their ticket if the passenger ultimately chooses not to fly. It's worth noting that the DOT does not define what constitutes a “significant delay.”

Why do flight attendants sit on their hands? ›

“The aim is to keep the body in a rigid pose, so that if there was any impact from an unplanned emergency, the body is damaged less," she continued. “This keeps body movement restricted so that there is less chance of injury if there was an impact."

What is the new law for delayed flights? ›

Under new federal rules, airline travelers are now guaranteed an automatic cash refund if a scheduled flight is delayed three or more hours domestically or delayed six hours internationally.

How long does a plane need to be delayed before compensation? ›

Crucially, it's about when you arrive, not when you leave. You'll start being eligible for compensation if your flight arrives three hours (or more) later than scheduled. So if you're on a flight that takes off four hours late but lands two hours 55 minutes late, you won't be eligible.

Can I get compensation for a 2 hour flight delay? ›

According to the DOT, airlines are not required to provide money or other compensation when flights get delayed, regardless of how late they are. However, when a “significant delay” takes place, passengers may receive refunds for seat selection fees or checked baggage fees.

How much flight compensation am I due? ›

The amount of compensation you can claim depends on the distance of your flight and the length of the delay. For flights shorter than 1,500 km, the compensation is £220. For flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, the compensation is £350. For flights of over 1,500 kilometres within the EU, the compensation is also £350.

Do I get a full refund if the airline cancels my flight? ›

RULES FOR FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS

If a flight gets cancelled, then the airline has to inform the passenger less than two weeks, but atleast 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. The passenger can then ask for a seat on an alternate flight or seek a full refund from the airline.

What are the rights of passengers if flight is Cancelled? ›

Flight Cancellations and Compensation:

If a flight is cancelled within a fortnight and up to 24 hours before departure, passengers should receive a refund and compensation ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, depending on the flight time.

What are the airlines responsibilities for cancelled flights? ›

If an airline cancels a passenger's flight or makes a significant change in the flight, regardless of the reason, airlines are required to provide a prompt refund to a ticketed passenger, including those with non-refundable tickets, should the passenger choose not to accept the alternative offered, such as rebooking on ...

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