Do airlines have substantially different policies regarding adverse weather conditions?
I've now experienced twice sitting at an airport, seeing flights being cancelled left and right due to adverse weather, with only flights operated by one airline (the same in both cases) remaining (luckily for me, that included my own flight each time). The problem was always the local weather at the airport, once a typhoon in Tokyo, once fog in Cardiff.
This left me wondering whether this was just coincidence, or whether there are substantial differences regarding what kind of weather airlines are willing to fly in.
Best Answer
Yes.
Different aircraft have different rules. E.g. some are able to cope with more wind/gusts. But also the required runway length may become important. That length changes with weather. With snow or heavy rain the planes may need more runway, which may not be available.
Then airlines have different rules. Manufacturer set a limit, but airlines usually are stricter. Note: such limit depends on aircraft and airline.
Then the aircraft and crew may be a limit. With fog, you may require autolanding (the CAT II/III red signal you may see near runways), but this requires certified aircraft (not just model) and pilots.
Pilots may have different opinions. A pilot new to an airport may prefer to choose an alternate, if the airport is also considered tricky with bad weather.
Operation reasons: a stranded aircraft may be more problematic for some airlines (maybe with home base away), so some airlines may not risk to have a grounded plane.
Operation 2: crew have restriction on number of hours they can operate (day and long term). Delays may block some pilots to fly (or fly back).
Note: you should consider also the route and alternate airports, and restriction on airports. With bad weather, the destination airport may have huge delays, so accepting less planes (and this may depend on routes). Also the delays may affect some restriction on destination airport.
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How can adverse weather conditions affect the flights?
Fog, snow, ice and crosswinds mean that air traffic controllers have to increase the gap between planes that are landing, reducing the number of aircraft that an airport can manage. The same weather can make it slower and more difficult for the planes to taxi between runway and terminal building.What weather conditions do airlines cancel flights?
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), weather accounts for approximately 70% of flight delays. Thunderstorms, lightning, rain, fog, wind, snow and ice can all impact flights taking off or landing.What is adverse weather aviation?
Adverse weather phenomena are meteorological conditions that, if encountered during flight or ground operations, could reduce and even threaten the safety of those operations.What happens when a flight is diverted due to weather?
If your flight is diverted, the airline must get you to the destination airport on your ticket or reservation at no extra cost to you. You may be entitled to compensation if there has been a delay. For more information see Your rights: flight delays.Airline Law and Regulation: A Brief History [POLICYbrief]
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