Get Unused Flight Ticket Refund

A Turkish Airlines passenger plane from Mumbai had its takeoff delayed due to a suspicious phone found in the plane on Monday.

The plane, which was supposed to take off at 6:50 a.m. local time, was grounded shortly before takeoff. The Doğan news agency reported that after the flight crew found an unclaimed phone on board, the plane's pilot decided not to take off and parked the plane in a secure spot. The 332 passengers on board had to leave the plane for a security check.

No one enjoys sitting in an airport, but travelers took on the holiday rush. Thousands of people packed airports all across the U.S. Some of the airports were still packed well into the night due to flight delays. The South Bend International Airport was pretty quiet though. With the exception of a couple delays, people waiting for loved ones said they didn't mind the wait, mainly, because they said it could have been a lot worse.

"We're waiting for his brother," said Natasha Lewis.

Natasha and Jordan Lewis said they were waiting to surprise the rest of their family when their brother's flight landed.

"He's been trying for a couple years to surprise, but it always ended up getting ruined," said Jordan Lewis.

The surprise was almost ruined again because of flight delays Wednesday evening.

"That says 5:50, but the guy said it would be more like 6:50," she said.

People coming to and from the airport said they're holiday travel wasn't as bad as it could have been.

"Last year he flew into O'Hare," said Natasha.

One of the biggest and busiest airports in the country, Chicago O'Hare and other airports on the Northeast, not only had to compete with high numbers of travelers, but also bad weather causing delays and even canceled flights.

"We're in for a good traveling day, so I mean, it's going to be packed," said Delaware resident Matt Ritter. "We've got to stay close together and make sure everybody gets to where they need to be."

"Well, I have three grandchildren. They are waiting for me," said Virginia Dunn as she waited to board her flight to Harrisburg, PA.

Many others waited to get on or off the plane, so they could grab their luggage and start their holiday season. As for Jordan and Natasha, they just wanted to keep their holiday surprise.

"It happens, it's nothing we can really hold against the airport, I'm just glad he's making it here," said the Lewis's.

A Southwest Airlines flight was delayed about an hour Monday at McCarran International Airport when a passenger who refused to follow instructions was removed from the plane, according to the airline.

The man on Indianapolis-bound Flight 717 would not follow the crew’s instructions prior to takeoff, and at about 5:30 p.m. the plane returned to the gate, where Metro Police were waiting, airport spokeswoman Christine Crews said.

Crews did not detail what instructions the man was refusing to follow.

He was escorted off the property, but he was not arrested, she said.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Passengers aboard an Indianapolis-bound flight from Las Vegas were in a scary situation late Monday night.

Southwest Airlines Flight 717 didn't arrive until after midnight, more than an hour after the expected arrival.

The plane had to return to the gate after a man on board was acting suspiciously.

Southwest Airlines says other passengers alerted staff of the man's strange behavior, and when they tried talking to him, he refused to follow crew member's instructions.

The next step was to have air marshals come aboard the aircraft after the decision was made to remove the man from the plane.

Cape Town - Low-cost airline FlySafair left passengers in limbo when a flight from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg was delayed until the early hours of Monday morning, 21 December.

Flight FA 239 was meant to depart Port Elizabeth at 20:55 on Sunday, 20 December, but only took off from PE at 00:53.

Ndivhuho Sekoba, a wheelchair-bound passenger on the delayed flight, told Traveller24 the airline never communicated any details regarding the delay to passengers, who had to wait around at the airport for more than four hours.

"I need a wheelchair because I have a problem with my leg, and during the delay, no one even asked me how can they can assist me," Sekoba said.

According to Sekoba, there were other wheelchair-users waiting to board the flight who were also left to their own devices.

“There were grannies there, and no one offered to help them during the four-hour-wait.”

She said the airline gave no indication of why the flight was delayed. "They never communicated to us what the problems were - even when we were at the airport. Only when I went to buy refreshments just before midnight, someone finally told me there had been a technical issue with the flight."

Eventually, the plane left the PE runway just before 01:00, only arriving at OR Tambo International just before 04:00 on Monday morning.

Kirby Gordon for FlySafair confirmed the delay, saying there were two delays on Sunday, 20 December.

"One of our aircraft had a minor technical issue," he told Traveller24. "We decided not to operate that particular aircraft and swapped it out for another in our fleet. The technical delay first affected Flight FA 238, which was supposed to depart Johannesburg for Port Elizabeth at 18:45 and ended up leaving at 22:55.

"There was then a knock-on effect to the return leg (FA 239) which was due to depart Port Elizabeth for Johannesburg at 20:55 and ended up leaving at 24:53. In all there was an unfortunate delay of about 240min on those two flights," he said.

Arriving at OR Tambo International, Sekoba told Traveller24 she had to pay increased transport fares from the airport, as they arrived in Johannesburg in the dead of night.

Flights are still landing and taking off, but as it’s unsafe for ground staff to be on the tarmac there are delays in offloading passengers and their luggage, a Sydney Airport spokeswoman said.

A second storm is slamming Sydney just hours after hail the size of cricket balls fell in the city’s southern suburbs and a tornado was spotted near the airport.

“It is what’s called a super cell thunderstorm and they’re one of the most dangerous thunderstorms we get,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.

Some travellers have taken to Twitter to share their stories of being stuck on the plane or at the airport waiting for the weather to ease.

Three international flights were diverted this morning.

The airport spokeswoman said it’s impossible to know how long the delays will last.

Firefighters responding to reports of an engine on fire at Fuzhou Changle International Airport sprayed foam on the wrong plane. The incident caused the runway to be closed for around 90 minutes.

Sparks had been seen coming from the right-hand engine on an Air China Boeing 737 as it prepared to take off for Beijing from the airport in the capital of southeast China's Fujian Province.

According to an Air China statement, this was a "normal situation" that wouldn't affect flight safety. However, the captain of a following Fuzhou Airlines jet who spotted the sparks informed air traffic control who then called the Air China captain and firefighters, Fuzhou Airlines said in a statement.

Eight fire trucks arrived within two minutes, surrounded the Fuzhou Airlines plane and sprayed it with foam.

They quickly realized they had picked the wrong plane and moved on to deal with the Air China aircraft, but not before the Fuzhou plane was covered in foam.

The airport authority decided to close the runway to deal with the aftermath.

The Air China flight was canceled and passengers transferred to other flights.

Passengers on the Fuzhou Airlines flight to Jinan in east China's Shandong Province had to disembark to allow the foam to be removed and a subsequent safety inspection, the airline said.

The aircraft finally took off after a seven-hour delay.

According to an Air China engineer, the engines on a Boeing 737 can sometimes generate some "leftover fuel" and in some conditions this can cause a spark. But he said this wouldn't affect flight safety.

A statement from the airport authority said that firefighters found two Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the runway. The Air China aircraft had turned off its engines and showed no abnormality while some smoke was coming from an engine on the Fuzhou Airlines aircraft, according to the firefighting team's leader.

Whenever passengers book for a flight with their favorite air service, they expect to be transported to their destination according to schedule. In a perfect world, that is how things should work. But alas, we do not live in a perfect world.

There are unfavorable circumstances beyond the control of air travel service which would either delay, divert, or cancel the passengers' trip. During these adverse times, what rights to travelers have?

The United States Department of Transportation (or simply DOT), tasked in making travel efficient and secure, can provide answers with regards to passenger rights during such crises. Depending on the rules and regulations in the country, their response might also be applicable in other locations.

If most of the airline crew decided to stop operations and go on strike, passenger flights are certainly canceled. Should this happen, airlines are not required to put delayed flight travelers in a hotel, pay for their meals, refund the fare, divert departures or transfer it to other airlines. Those whose bookings have been hindered should only expect one thing - the air service is obliged to get them to their intended destination according to DOT.

Christopher Elliot, air travel customer expert, also shared tips and advice on how to go about the process should a flight be canceled, delayed or diverted due to unforeseen events.

'If the airline isn't operating flights, you are entitled to an immediate refund. Period,' Elliot added.

In the event that a certain passenger would rather have his flight diverted than refunded, most airlines are more than willing to help. Most of the times, they would book the new flight with their airline partners and may even transfer it to other partners but it is important to note such measures are not required. It is a good idea then to get flights from air services that are part of a network. This way, they will be able to divert bookings faster.

With Christmas just around the corner airports are preparing to face an influx of holidaymakers as millions of people across the UK gear up to jet away for the festive period.

Last year around 3.7 million people flew abroad for Christmas*, making it one the busiest times of the year to go on holiday, with December 21st and 28th being the peak days to fly. This year is expected to be no different.

The sheer volume of people combined with unpredictable weather extremes, means travelling around Christmas can lead to flight delays and stressful journeys.

Flight claims specialists Stanton Fisher has produced information and advice to help make travelling easier and reduce stress, so that travellers can focus on enjoying the festivities.

Chief executive at Stanton Fisher, James Boyd, said: “Whether it’s to visit family, catch some winter sun or to experience the festivities in a new city, more and more people are going on holiday over Christmas.

“For many people spending time with family is paramount, and flying is the only way to achieve this.

“Of course, delays and cancellations are unfortunately more likely, as the weather can often force airports and planes to stop moving.

“Travellers should always make sure they are always prepared for the possibility of delays, and stay in touch with the weather forecast.

“One of the best pieces of advice is to pack with the theory there will be a delay, and have a phone charger, extra clothes, water, toothbrush, money and all flight documents in hand luggage.”

Christmas in the UK often means the arrival of severe winter weather conditions.

Snow, ice and strong winds can often cause flight delays and can result in holidaymakers being stranded in an airport for hours. This can be particularly frustrating for those with young children.

“There’s nothing worse than finding out the holiday you’ve been excitedly waiting for is delayed, and then having to wait around in an airport for hours on end,” continued James.

“And children or babies can just add to the stress, so having essential items including food and games easily available, is strongly advised.

“There are plenty of things to do in most airports, such as shopping, eating, reading a book, plane spotting and people watching. But of course stay hydrated and don’t drink too much alcohol.

“Following some simple steps can help relieve some stress, make any flight delay just a little bit easier and ensure everyone has a happy and merry Christmas.”

Don’t turn head over heels if you suddenly need to cancel your non-refundable flight ticket as you can still get back some refunds. Must be wondering how? Every airline ticket consists of some surcharges and taxes, of which some taxes are refundable even on a non-refundable ticket if the passenger couldn’t fly for any reason. Airlines make big money every year from these unused flight tickets. Thus, never leave your money on the table for the airlines to make their wallets all the fattier. If you want to know more about tax refunds on flight tickets, have a look at our latest blog post:

Hundreds of passengers grounded by faulty brakes on an Air New Zealand Dreamliner aircraft were on their way to Auckland on Saturday afternoon after a delay of almost a day.

Flight NZ288 was scheduled to leave Shanghai at 2.15pm on Friday (Shanghai time) but was delayed overnight.

The flight was expected to arrive in Auckland on Sunday at 2.30am.

An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said the flight to Auckland was delayed due to a "brake electronics fault".

"Boarding had not commenced when the issue was identified and passengers were kept well informed." All were accommodated overnight in Shanghai, she said.

The delay dented the confidence of one frequent flier on the flight, who asked not to be identified. Passengers had been told on Friday that a new part needed to be flown in from Hong Kong and it was the third time in the last few years he had experienced delays due to mechanical problems on the route, he said.

"Twice hydraulic systems, and last night a missing piece of aircraft. I start to wonder if Air New Zealand maintenance is up to scratch or not," he said.

Another passenger, Martin Leenders, said the captain had fronted on Friday, along with the flight crew, and were very professional.

Air New Zealand has not confirmed a piece of the plane was missing and the frequent flier said it was possible he had misheard. The airline's spokeswoman, Anna Cross, said a replacement part had been flown to Shanghai from Auckland.

The fault had been discovered when the aircraft was on the ground in Shanghai, she said. She did not confirm whether it was of a nature that would require the Civil Aviation Authority to be informed.  

Airlines that fly to remote communities in northwestern Ontario say the region's unseasonably warm weather is leading to more delays for passengers.

Temperatures across the northwest averaged four to five degrees higher than a typical November and are remaining warm in the first week of December, according to Environment Canada.

The warm weather creates more fog, more snow, and lower cloud ceilings that cause visibility problems, said Donavon Macklin, the operations manager at Wasaya Airways. It also leads to a greater need for de-icing.

"The heaviest amount of de-icing actually happens in the zero to minus five range," Macklin said. "When it's zero to minus five degrees, there's still enough moisture around that causes ice."

Macklin said he hopes customers who are facing delays understand that Wasaya is putting their safety first.

"We're not going to depart ever in an unsafe condition," he said.

Visibility problems also mean aircraft have to carry more fuel to allow for diversions farther afield if their initial destinations aren't safe for landing, said Brad Martin, president of Bearskin Airlines.

"If we were going to fly into, let's say Sioux Lookout, we may use Red Lake as an alternate," Martin said. "But if Red Lake weather is down and Kenora's down, now you're having to carry fuel to take you onto Winnipeg and then your reserve afterwards."

The need for additional fuel results in limited carrying capacity, he said.

"You're flying a lot of fuel around with your customers at the same time and that much fuel would certainly impact the number of people you could put on or the cargo that you could carry in addition," Martin said.

UBON RATCHATHANI – About 140 passengers of a Bangkok-bound aircraft operated by low-cost carrier Nok Air were transferred to other flights on Thursday morning after a flat tyre prevented take off.

Flight DD9313 was supposed to leave for Bangkok at 9am but the discovery of a flat tyre on the right main undercarriage assembly prevented its departure.

The pilot returned the airplane to the parking bay to wait for a replacement tyre sent from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani.

All passengers were transferred to other flights that still had vacant seats.

The aircraft was put back in service about 2pm.