Travel Troubles – The New York Times

For many travelers, cancellations and other snags have made this summer especially frustrating. To help you understand how we got here and how to make the most of your own trips, two Times travel experts — Niraj Chokshi, who covers transportation, and Heather Murphy, who reports on how people travel — answered reader questions.

Why are so many flights getting canceled? — Anna, South Bend, Ind.

Niraj: It’s a confluence of issues. Demand is quite high. After two years when people were not able to travel or did not feel safe doing so because of Covid, summer travel is busy again. The other issue: Labor is in short supply. Both airlines and airports have been struggling to hire, which means that there haven’t been enough baggage handlers, wheelchair agents, ramp agents — all the way up to pilots.

To some extent, it is a problem of the airlines’ own creation. Early in the pandemic, when they were looking to trim costs, the airlines encouraged a lot of employees to leave through buyouts or early retirements. Ultimately, it looks as though that has come back to bite them.

Will the summer travel problems end by October for my destination wedding? — Martina Matheis, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Niraj: There is some hope. Major airlines have been staffing up aggressively, and those new employees should be fully trained soon. The industry should also get a bit of relief thanks to seasonality: The fall is traditionally less busy. Also, parts of the economy aren’t doing so great, which could mean that fewer people will be flying.

Do you think the price of airline tickets will ever go down? I’m broke, but need a vacation. — Cynthia Soegiharto, South Portland, Maine

Heather: Quite a few apps and websites — including Hopper, Kayak and Skyscanner — allow you, when you search your flight, to see what the prices will be at different time periods. I appreciate that the Hopper app will tell you if you should book right away because prices are likely to rise, or wait until they drop further.

Also, many airlines still allow people to change most flights without fees, so you can buy a flight and then, if you can find a cheaper flight on that same airline, you can change it and get a credit.

If an airline cancels your flight, what rights do you have as far as refunds or vouchers? — Susan, southern New Jersey

Heather: If your airline cancels your flight or significantly changes it, you are supposed to get your money back. It’s something that people don’t realize, and…