The number of cancelled flights is increasing by Martina Janeckova

As Roger and Pat Bate were hurrying to catch their plane, they got a call that many will receive from their airline this year. The Continental employee told them that their flight had been cancelled and they should come back to the airport the next day. However they refused this and managed to think out an alternative route home. Their case was nothing unusual, this year 65,000 flights have been cancelled so far, which is almost as many as of the whole year 2007 according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Airlines are planning to cut the number of available seats on flights even more after the summer travel season. United airlines said it will cut 14 percent of available seats on domestic flights by the end of the year, the numbers are similar for other airlines too. American airlines will cut 12 percent, Continental Airlines Inc. 11 percent , Delta Air Lines Inc. 13 percent, Northwest Airlines Corp. 9.5 percent and US Airways Group Inc. 8 percent of their seating capacity. Airlines hope that by cutting the travel options they can increase fares and compensate increasing fuel costs.
As the number of cancellations is getting higher, people should be aware that their flight might not be waiting for them at the airport and keep several things in mind:
- come to the airport early with your itinerary printed and your mobile phone charged,
- read airline’s “ Contract of Carriage” policy to know your rights,
- make sure you have an assigned seat,
- find alternative routes to your destination.

by Martina Janeckova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.<br><br><font size=2>These news are original content from young talents around the world and are selected for you by Chris Cantell.</font><br>




posted by Lucia Adamova