Winter Weather Cost Passenger $2.5 Billion & How To Protect Yourself

NBC News is reporting that January's weather lead to over 49,000 canceled flights, 300,000 delayed flights and cost passengers more than $2.5 billion.

"The total disruption was greater than during Hurricane Sandy, according to an analysis by masFlight, a software company specializing in airline operations."

The weather lead to headaches all around. Airlines were force to cancel flights due to the weather, new pilot fatigue rules, and DOT limits on passengers sitting on planes on the tarmac. Passengers suffered from days; on top of days of cancellations and delays.

masFlight calculated the $2.5 billion passenger cost from productivity losses, time spend and difficulty rebooking, and additional expenses, such as hotel rooms and meals.

While little can be done to recoup the cost from productivity losses and rebooking flights, there is away to help defray the cost of hotel rooms needed from delays. Many credit cards offer free travel insurance for airline delays. For instance, my favorite credit card, Chase Sapphire, offers up to $300 for reimbursement for hotels and meals if your flight is delayed for more than 12 hours.

The catch? You have to purchase your flight using the card with this protection and then use the card again to purchase the expenses. Therefore, you would have to pay for your ticket with the Chase Sapphire and have that same card on you to purchase your hotel/meals.

How easy is it to get this reimbursement? According to a friend and a quick to call to Chase Customer Service, very easy!

The best part is that you don't have to get permission to use the benefit. You have 30 days to request reimbursement from Chase/Insurance and at least another 30 days to get the proper paperwork to them. One of the hardest part is getting proof of the delay from the airline. If its weather, the airline is likely to give you the letter without a problem. A mechanical delay, the airline might not be willing, as they are partially responsible for your lodging.

The lesson from this post? Always carry the credit card traveling that you booked your trip with. It could help you save hundreds of dollars in the result of a delay/cancellation.

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