When you’re heading to the airport and get a text en route saying your flight has been delayed, it’s fine to take your time, right? Wrong, one flight attendant warns.
Taylor Shearer is a 29-year-old Delta Air Lines flight attendant currently based in Seattle. She’s been working as a flight attendant for a year and a half, she told Newsweek.
“When the airline delays a flight, always go to the airport for the scheduled departure time. I don’t care how many hours it’s delayed. They may very well take off at the same time…,” she said in a video shared on October 2 from her TikTok account @tay_shearer.
The latest Air Travel Consumer Report, published in October by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), found that in August there were 45,607 air carrier delays, 30,962 national aviation system delays and 5,162 extreme weather delays reported among 10 major U.S. airlines.
Air carrier delays refer to flight delays where “the cause of the cancellation or delay was due to circumstances within the airline’s control,” such as maintenance or crew problems, according to the DOT.
“Delays and cancellations attributable to the national aviation system refer to a broad set of conditions,” the DOT says, such as non-extreme weather conditions, airport operations, heavy traffic volume and air traffic control.
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Shearer told Newsweek: “Passengers are warned via text, email and through the [airline] app when there are delays, depending on the airline.”
For flights departing within a week, airlines are required to provide status updates within 30 minutes of when they become aware of a status change, the DOT says. “The flight status information must, at a minimum, be provided on the airline’s website and by the airline’s telephone reservation system.”
The airline must also “update all flight status displays and other sources of flight information at U.S. airports that are under the airline’s control within 30 minutes after the airline becomes aware of the problem,” the DOT adds.
Refund for Missing Delayed Flight That Leaves on Time?
It may seem unfair to have to miss a flight because it was previously announced as delayed. Can passengers seek compensation in this case?
Shearer said there is “no form of compensation that I know of” for those who miss a delayed flight that eventually takes off on time.
According to the DOT, “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 another flight.”
The DOT told Newsweek in September that each airline has its own policies about compensation beyond a refund for delayed or canceled flights.
“If an airline has made a commitment to provide a particular service or compensation, then the department can hold the airline accountable,” the DOT said at the time.
It’s unclear whether a delayed flight later taking off at its originally scheduled time would be considered a “significant change” and therefore, require airlines to issue a refund or other forms of compensation.
Newsweek has contacted the DOT by email for further comment.
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‘This Is How I Missed My Flight’
A caption shared with the viral TikTok clip says: “Unpopular opinion, but I’ve personally missed a flight cause of this. So take my word and get to the airport for your original scheduled departure time.”
Shearer says in the video: “For example, today I worked a flight and got the call in the morning [that] it was delayed 2½ hours.” She then received another call an hour later and “What do you know? We took off on time.”
She went on: “I had so many passengers come up to me today and say they almost missed it because they turned around and went into something else besides going to the airport.”
Several TikTok users could relate to the scenario in the video.
CiCi in the Sky said “This is so true! I’ve seen it happen.” TieDyeEssentials wrote, “Yep and this is how I missed my flight.”
User teddo9999 recalled: “Almost missed a flight because I decided to hang out at my daughter’s house after getting the delay notification. Thankfully I kept checking!”
WishIHadMillion$$_Hotdog said: “Happened to us 2 weeks ago – United. Delayed 3 hours 1 hour before boarding. Ppl [People] left to eat. Started boarding on time. Ppl almost missed the flight.”
Hils wrote: “My last international flight was delayed 4 hrs but took off on time. That row all to myself was so welcomed, so glad I was at the gate regardless.”
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.