Weather-Related Flight Delays: Understanding When the Airline is Responsible
As any traveler knows, most flight disruptions are caused by weather. Between 2017 and 2023, 74.26% of delays of 15 minutes or longer were caused by meteorological conditions, according to the FAA. But while storms, fog, ice, and snow can have real safety implications, sometimes airlines will use this excuse to avoid responsibility to their passengers, even if safety wasn’t an issue.
So, how can you tell if weather delays are truly a safety concern? Understanding how airlines are equipped to prepare for these events can make all the difference, and could help you get compensated.
Myths about weather delays and airline payouts
Of course, no one can control the weather. We all know this, and we’re grateful that the airline industry takes safety as seriously as it does. Many passengers mistakenly believe that all weather-related flight disruptions are ineligibile for compensation payouts because airline consider them to be extraordinary circumstances, but actually this isn’t the case.
Today’s aircraft are designed and built to withstand adverse weather situations. Plus, air traffic control and pilots are well trained to safely manage most meteorological events, while airports usually have equipment to handle snow, ice, and other conditions - especially in climates that see these events regularly.
Extraordinary circumstances are events that couldn’t be avoided or prevented. So, while snow in Denver or fog in San Francisco can be problematic, and even a safety concern in some cases - airports, airlines, and pilots expect them at certain airports, and are generally able to avoid or prevent any disruptions that could result.
So yes, weather can be counted as an extraordinary circumstance, but let’s look a bit deeper.
Weather conditions and their impact on flight safety
Storms, snow, fog, wind, and any other weather conditions come in all shapes and sizes, making black and white responses and judgements nearly impossible. Here are a few meteorological events that airlines have to contend with on a regular basis.
Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms can be dangerous because of windshear, hail, microbursts, and icing, but not all thunderstorms created equal. Sometimes, when a storm is too severe or too big, flight operations must either stop or work to comply with any safety margins set by aviation authorities like the FAA. But storms are a common occurrence, and airlines will do everything possible to avoid them.
What airlines do to minimize storm delays and cancellations
- Create a buffer in their scheduling plan to account for lost time
- Use the most advanced weather forecasting tools to create the safest flight plans
- Work closely with Air Traffic Control who prioritizes take-off and landing to optimize safety and minimize congestion.
- Use advanced software to distribute crews and other resources to help turn around late arrivals to prevent or minimize knock-on delays.
Wondering Is It Safe to Fly Through a Storm? <— Check an in-depth look by our expert team.
Snow and Ice
Snow and ice are not just seasonal, but geographical, and this is what causes problems for travelers. Winter weather can create hazardous conditions on the runway and freezing temperature can cause ice to form on aircraft, but not all airports are able to maintain safe conditions.
The responsibility for managing winter weather is parsed between the airline and the airport. Airports in colder climates are usually ready for snow and ice, but when a snowstorm blankets an airport unaccustomed to it, flights will end up being canceled or delayed. Basically, airports in warmer climates simply don’t have enough plows and treatments to keep runways safe, among other things, but this is not the airline’s fault.
What are airlines responsible for with winter weather?
Airlines are responsible for de-icing aircraft, not the runway, but if a delay is caused because there isn’t enough fluid to do this, then that is usually the airline’s fault, especially in places where snow and ice are regular occurrences.
Fog
Thanks to advanced navigational equipment, airplanes can safely fly through dense fog, but take-off and landing poses serious problems. Even with the best airport lighting, runway visibility can be completely obscured when the fog is too dense, and there’s very little the airline can do to help the situation.
When fog reduces visibility below around 2,000 feet, airports will start using Low Visibility Procedures (LVPs). This means that almost all airport operations on the tarmac are slowed, including refueling, taxiing, and baggage handling, plus departure and landings are given more space and time to avoid catastrophes on the runway. The result? Lots of delays. But is there anything airlines can do to mitigate this?
What airlines can do to minimise fog-related delays
Some regions get more fog than others. California and the West Coast of the US, are famous for pea-soup fog that plays havoc with airports, and San Francisco is particularly well known for it.
A December 2024 study by UpgradedPoints found that
42.3% of its delays in San Francisco were caused by weather during the holiday months over the past 5 years. December is particularly challenging, with 50.5% of SFO’s delays attributed to weather disruptions.
But even though airlines can’t do anything to prevent the fog, they do take steps to mitigate delays caused by it.
How airlines prepare for foggy conditions
Because certain airports have fog on a regular, trackable basis, they can adjust their schedules to allow more turnaround time between flights. They can also use aircraft on these routes with Category III Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), making low visibility landings more manageable. They also can use newer planes with advanced avionics and navigation systems.
When airlines use weather as an excuse
In Europe, the UK, and Canada, airlines are required to repay passengers for flight disruptions that cause arrival delays of 3 hours or more. To avoid this, some airlines have misused severe weather, claiming it was beyond their control - and it is. But they also have many procedures in place to help keep flights operating on time.
When it comes to compensation claims, this can be a tricky knot to untangle. Safety is a real concern, but with the tools and policies available to airlines, it’s tough to say which weather-related disruptions are really within their control.
Do this if bad weather disrupts your flight
If you have a delay or cancellation, always ask the airline for a written description of what caused the interruption. You might not know if you’ll qualify for compensation, but if you do, you’ll be prepared with some of the most valuable evidence for your claim.
Next, check real time apps like FlightAware to verify that severe weather is really causing problems. Be sure to take screenshots of weather apps that include the date and time so you have some proof that weather shouldn’t have been causing a problem.
Also, look around to see if other airlines are operating flights. If you see arrivals and departures functioning as usual, chances are the weather didn’t have a hand in your delay. Again, document everything you see and hear so you can include this information in your claim, if you choose to file one.
Tools to Help You Out
See our list of FREE tools in the links below:
- Flight Delay Checker
- Free Flight Delay Compensation Calculator
- Free Flight Delay Compensation Letter Template
Resources & Additional Reading
Some extra resources to help you better understand flight delay compensation:
- Delayed Flight Compensation Claim Deadlines
- What are Delay Reversals?
- Should I Accept Cash or Vouchers for a Delayed Flight?
- Business Trip Flight Delay Guide
Other Common Flight Delay Causes
Read more about the most popular flight delay causes:
- Flight Delay due to Diversion
- Flight Delay due to Aircraft Maintenance
- Flight Delay due to Overfueling
- Flight Delay due to Extraordinary Circumstances
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