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A brutal winter storm has snarled travel across the country and, yes, airlines are canceling flights — often on purpose and for good reason, as travel expert Colleen Kelly told Fox Report when she explained why carriers are pulling planes off schedules to keep passengers and crews safe. That doesn’t make the inconvenience any less painful for hardworking Americans trying to get home, but the experts on-air were clear: safety, not malice, is usually the motive behind widespread cancellations.
Conservative readers should be skeptical of sloppy management, but willing to give credit where it’s due: when a carrier grounds flights because runways are iced over or crews can’t safely operate, you’re better off not flying. Federal rules back up the traveler here — if an airline cancels your flight, you’re entitled to a full refund even for nonrefundable tickets, and that right stands regardless of the reason for the cancellation.
Don’t let corporate spin or fine print confuse you; refunds include the ticket price and extras like bag fees and paid seat upgrades if those services aren’t delivered. Travel advisories and consumer outlets have been hammering this point: passengers can demand cash back instead of vouchers, and it’s the airline’s legal obligation to honor that.
That said, there’s an important distinction the Biden administration and travel activists rarely headline: airlines aren’t federally required to pay for hotels, meals, or taxis when disruptions are caused by uncontrollable events like weather. If the storm is to blame, your out-of-pocket lodging and meals are typically not covered by the Department of Transportation’s baseline rules, though some carriers have goodwill policies they’ll choose to apply.
Practical common-sense tips offered by the same experts: check your flight status constantly, use any priority or frequent-flyer phone lines available to you, and consider booking flexible backups when the forecast looks dicey. Those small moves can save you hours in a jam and help Americans avoid being trapped in terminal chaos while airline phone lines and agents are overwhelmed.
For conservatives who value both personal responsibility and accountability, this moment is instructive: demand that airlines be transparent and efficient in execution, not that they be punished for doing the right thing when safety is genuinely at stake. Washington, meanwhile, has floated rules to force more compensation from carriers when disruptions occur, and while protecting consumers is laudable, excessive regulation risks making airlines less nimble and more bureaucratic — the last thing travelers need in an emergency.
So keep your head, protect your family, and know your rights: get your refund if you choose not to fly, push for sensible service from a private company, and don’t let the panic merchants or power-hungry regulators tell you that safety and common sense are somehow incompatible with freedom and fair treatment. Our communities depend on citizens who prepare, stand up for their rights, and hold both corporations and government to account when they fail the American people.
