Is it bait and switch that airlines cancel flights?

Question

And leave people stranded in airports overnight? This happens so frequently and their dim reasons like "weather" when the weather is calm and clear, makes one wonder what the real reason is for this horrendous issue? As people have to go to work and can't spend a day or so without making it to their destination, what is the real reason for this issue?

Answer 1

You mean where airlines A and B fly between the same airports, and due to insufficient demand, they combine the flights?

If it's not inconvenient then I don't mind, as long as the alternative carrier has similar or better facilities, and you still earn the frequent flier miles. If you have to stay overnight then that's not so good.

Airfares are going up and if it saves them (and thus me) money to combine flights, WITHOUT inconveniencing passengers, then I'm happy with it.

Answer 2

Believe me, it is not always in the best interests of the passengers to cancel flights, but sometimes it needs to be done. And we don't like it any more than you do. The weather that could be cancelling your flight could be in a place that you might not notice it, but it does affect your flight. For example, a plane is flying from point A to B to C to D to E during the course of one day. You are waiting at D for your plane to arrive but there is a major snowstorm at B that is keeping the plane on the ground indefinitely. The flight gets delayed to a point that the airline, since it can't just pluck a plane out of thin air, decides to cancel and reaccomodate passengers on another flight that is able to operate as scheduled.

Another major issue for airlines is Air Traffic Control (ATC). They control all of the "highways in the sky." When there are issues like summer thunderstorms (tis the season right about now) ATC may go into a flow program. Some routes are shut down due to the thunderstorms, and all flights are given time slots to get into the air, in order to space out the airplanes around the weather. So the flight may be held on the ground for as little as 20 minutes, to hours, depending on the severity of the weather and the congestion of the area. Both the NYC and Philly/DC areas get hard-hit by this often.

So even though you may not see exactly what is going on, there are good reasons out there why the airline is forced to delay or cancel the flights. We are all at the mercy of the weather and ATC gods.