Airlines Beat Storms by Canceling Ahead

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: NYTimes

This has been a terrible winter for flying.

Since Christmas, four major winter storms, one after the next, shut down many of the nation’s largest airports for at least a few hours and some for a whole day. About 86,000 flights from Nov. 1 through Feb. 11 were canceled at the top 200 airports, according to Flightstats.com, putting this winter on track as one of the most difficult to navigate.

Even so, the severity of the storms was only part of the story this year. The airlines, stung by highly publicized incidents in previous years of planes stuck on the ground for hours by snowstorms, have changed their policies. They have become more aggressive in canceling flights beforehand rather than trying to fight their way through the snow. At the same time, they have made it easier for passengers to cancel or rebook their travel plans, often by waiving fees.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/business/15cancel.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimes&seid=auto