Boston Logan International Airport fixed a bizarre fuel system problem that grounded flights over the holiday weekend. Then low clouds appeared and the arrival was delayed by about three hours.
Anyone who has flown from Boston Logan in the past few days has been given a surprising lesson in how many different things can throw off an airline schedule.
On Sunday, it was fuel.
Logan’s fuel system problem forced the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a ground stop, leaving the plane unable to take off while delays and cancellations piled up during the busy Fourth of July travel period.
The Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan, said fuel operations had returned to normal by late Sunday night. Flights resumed, the original problem was fixed, and the airport could finally begin sorting out the glitch.
Unfortunately, no one told the weather that the emergency was over.
There was a delay of about three hours due to low clouds
By Tuesday, the FAA was again managing traffic at Boston Logan. This time the problem was the weather and the low ceiling.
At one point, flights appearing on the agency’s airport status page faced delays of an average of 2 hours and 45 minutes.
In other words, Logan had airplanes that couldn’t get fuel and he had airplanes with fuel waiting for the sky to cooperate.
The timing could hardly have been worse. A major ground stop doesn’t need to permanently break the airport to cause a serious travel headache. Planes miss departures, passengers miss connections, and gates are suddenly occupied by planes that should have been somewhere else.
Then another interruption occurs. The consequences can spread faster across airline networks than gossip in an airport lounge. This is especially painful during the peak summer travel season, when airlines are already carrying large numbers of passengers, and there is less room in the schedule to absorb a bad day.
The fuel system came back online. The Boston clouds apparently missed the memo.
Know when an airline has to refund you
For travelers, the important question immediately turns to “Why is my flight delayed?” To “What do I do now?”
The answer depends on what happens to the flight and whether you still decide to travel.
Under Department of Transportation rules, if an airline cancels or significantly changes or delays a flight and you choose not to take the changed itinerary or offered alternative transportation, You are entitled to a refund.
This difference matters before accepting the first voucher or rebooking option offered through the airline app.
Anyone staring at a departure board that suddenly turns into a wall of red should know when airlines are required to refund you before taking the next step.
No doubt, outdoor enthusiasts looking at yet another airport disruption will be rethinking the whole flying part of their summer holidays.
Anyone who recently checked whether the TSA allows tents and other camping gear on planes may now be wondering if putting everything in an SUV was a better travel strategy.
(Photo by Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)
Sure, there’s traffic on the highway. Someone will inevitably be camping in the left lane. And your carefully planned departure time will likely disappear the moment someone calls for a bathroom stop. But at least a low cloud roof can’t ground your Subaru Forester.
The Boston Logan’s fuel problem was fixed Sunday night. For a while, the weather gave those fueled airplanes nowhere to go.
