
It’s estimated that between 1-3% of flights are cancelled each year. That might not sound like a large number, until you consider that it works out to more than 100,000 flights in the United States alone! If you travel with any regularity, you’re likely to find yourself the victim of a cancelled flight sooner or later. Read on to learn more about flight cancellations and what to do if your flight is a no-go.
Why Are Flights Cancelled?
There are many reasons why flights may be cancelled. One of the most common is the one we all think of this time of year: the weather. A major snowstorm can shut down an airport entirely! Snowstorms can cause flight cancellations even in parts of the country that never see a single snowflake. Your flight from Miami to Los Angeles could be cancelled due to snow if the airplane you were meant to fly on is stuck in a blizzard in Boston!

Winter storms aren’t the only weather events that can snarl air traffic around the nation. Hurricanes, wildfires, and even volcanic eruptions have led to thousands of cancelled flights. Even a plain old thunderstorm can keep a plane grounded!