Two winter snow storms are responsible for flight cancellations affecting nearly 55 million travellers who were set to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday period. A number of drivers were stuck in the blizzard for more than 17 hours with some having to spend the night in their vehicles. Hundreds of cars were left stranded as 30 inches of snow fell in just 20 hours.
Over 660 flights have been cancelled and travellers are stranded at airports as storm warnings have been put into place. Minneapolis and St. Paul International are amongst the worst affected with delays and cancellations expected to continue as the threat of bad weather grows. Denver International Airport has seen 10 inches of snow with strong winds limiting visibility and causing 1,600 flight cancellations.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated warnings of travel disruptions advising holidaymakers to exercise caution– ‘if you are due to travel to or within the US in the coming days you should check with your airline before travelling.’ As ‘snow storms during winter can cause delays and cancellations throughout the major airline hubs in the USA.’
If your flight has been cancelled because of severe weather conditions, you should contact your airline to keep on top of your travel plans. Your airline is responsible for either: providing you with a full refund on all unused parts of your ticket, re-booking your flight for a later date, or finding you another flight with a different airline. Provided you have force majeure cover in your travel insurance policy, you may be able to cancel your holiday if you are yet to travel or if you are already abroad and your hotel and transport has been affected you may be able to claim for additional expenses. It’s important to read your policy wording carefully as cover and limits will differ according to which policy you buy.
