Getting home from a Hawaii vacation isn’t something we regularly give thought to. Until this. When an airline removes several aircraft for mechanical reasons, will there be enough replacements to keep passengers moving?
It happened here in Hawaii this past weekend when passengers returning to Australia on Jetstar (owned by Qantas) found their flights canceled. The stranded passengers were left with little extra money to pay for accommodations or other expenses, let alone buy another ticket home. Jetstar has canceled two flights since Saturday, and as far as we can tell, their flights have yet to resume. Perhaps tomorrow.
The airline said the cause of the flight cancellations was a bird strike on one plane, a lightning strike on another, and a third aircraft needing to be out of service for thrust reverser repair parts.
Passengers are given $193 as compensation.
In lieu of the transportation they expected, passengers were given a pittance for accommodations and some spare change for spending money as they await the next flight out.
Infuriated passengers ran to social media to complain, saying they’d been forced to find other ways home. “Waiting at 5 am at Waikiki for a taxi to the airport for 10 am flight home, receive a text saying flight canceled for engineering reasons. Forced to get a $3,000 flight home.”
“How could this be allowed to happen? Six of us got the last seats on the Qantas flight back to Sydney in three days’ time at an outrageous price and in U.S. dollars. Take people overseas and leave them stranded? Outrageous!”
The airline said, “We never want to cancel a flight and do everything we can to avoid it; however, we will always put safety first.”
What happens to you on Hawaii to mainland flights?
Following are the canceled flight compensation documents for each airline flying to Hawaii. If you have a favorite carrier, you might want to learn more about their delayed or canceled flight policies.
US DOT’s current rules on flight delays and cancellations.
The U.S. DOT dashboard was recently launched for us consumers to have fast information about airline delays and cancellations and what we can expect airlines to do. That is when the problem’s source is deemed “within the airline’s control. DOT reminds us that in the U.S., “airlines are not required to compensate passengers when flights are delayed or canceled. Compensation is required by U.S. law only when certain passengers are “bumped” from a flight that is oversold.” Contrast that with the U.K., where delays of over 3 hours result in $600 payments to passengers. Both of your editors have benefited from that in the past with a 4-hour delay. Here in the USA, “Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers. If your flight is experiencing a long delay, ask airline staff if they will pay for meals or a hotel room. While some airlines offer these amenities to passengers, others do not provide any amenities to stranded passengers.” — US DOT.
What about flights that are “significantly delayed” – are passengers entitled to a refund then?
“DOT has not specifically defined “significant delay.” Whether you are entitled to a refund depends on many factors, such as the length of the delay, the length of the flight, and your particular circumstances. DOT determines whether you are entitled to a refund on a case by case basis.” What gobbledygook is that?
US DOT does say that “If your flight is canceled… you are entitled to a refund for the unused transportation – even for non-refundable tickets. You are also entitled to a refund for any bag fee that you paid and any extras you may have purchased, such as a seat assignment.
The airlines are not required to put you on another airline’s flight. That is entirely at their discretion. USDOT says “that they can and sometimes do, so it does not hurt to politely ask your airline if it will transfer your ticket to another airline that has a flight with available seats.”
Jetstar is a no frills airline. Both Qantas and Jetstar fly from Honolulu to Sydney. Jetstar charges $300.00 (or less) one way. Qantas charges $1200.00 one way (more or less). Anticipate delays,cancellations and additional costs when flying on Jetstar. You get what you pay for!
Mahalo once again for the valuable info and saving us the trouble of having to look it up ourselves. I’ll definitely refer to this info before booking my next flight. I really appreciate you guys. Aloha!
Hi Debi.
Thanks! We appreciated your more than 50 comments.
Aloha.
Great article with good info. Thanks
The DOT has a Heart, it lays within the Billfold of the Airlines Pocket. The $193 compensation would put me at a Beach Side Rest Area living with my new found friends who probably have more money than I. Sounds more like the Airlines are “Discouraging” Tourism from certain areas. I understand that “Occasionally” safety concerns, and mechanical problems, do ground a plane but this seems to have become something beyond the “Normal!” The Issues are Lack of Pilots, Flight and Ground Crews anymore it seems, are they being Totally Honest and Transparent with the Passengers or is that relegated to the past?
How do Americans petition for better treatment and compensation as tgey recieve abroad
You get what you pay for. Jetstar is rated as one of the worst airlines in the world. You want Cadillac treatment, but pay for a Volkswagen…
Cadillacs aren’t what they used to be anymore and Volkswagens aren’t either. Depending upon the model Volkswagen isn’t just the old Beetle that went everywhere in less comfort or style. Which Airline that is chosen it’s done for certain considerations and price often comes to play. As long as the Airline hasn’t been crashing planes it’s viable to many. Some critics condemn SWA the Same Way! Some are sounding like Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert anymore.
We were in Maui when the pandemic shut down happened. Hawaiian Airlines cancelled mainland flights but never notified us. We read about it in the local news. Thankfully we were able to get a flight back with Alaska Airlines, it took a few tries but they were great to work with and kept the flight with only 13 passengers and a double crew in case of illness. Hawaiian took almost 4 months to refund our costs, only after many long phone calls and e-mails.
Thankfully Alaskan was there and to The Rescue for You and Countless Others. Hawaiian Airlines keeps dropping the “Ball” Consistently in Many Ways, for You to have Waited 4 Months for your Money Back is yet an Additional Example of Their Arrogant Behavior towards the Customers. Were they some of the Original “Covid Deniers?” or just enjoying your Capital Expenditure Interest Free Money to keep Paychecks flowing until the Government Dollars came in?
I heard Alaska airlines also “puts safety first”
My son and his girlfriend took a Southwest flight from Las Vegas to Kona last week joining us for a week’s visit. The flight was diverted after some time over the ocean due to communication failures. They circled the desert near Phoenix for hours to rid of fuel. The flight was delayed 7 hours with most of the time spent in the air. Southwest sent them LUV Vouchers for $200 each.