Here are your compensation rights if you were stranded or delayed by CrowdStrike technology outage
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Cancelations and delays continued to slow down Delta Airlines Wednesday, but the airline said it should be fully recovered by Thursday.
This comes as passengers on the airline and others are still feeling the effects from Friday's CrowdStrike software update meltdown, which the company now said was a bug in the software. So, what are your rights are for compensation if you've been stranded or delayed?
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The U.S. Department of Transportation has determined Friday's outage "controllable." That means consumers may be entitled to reimbursements for hotels and food, but there are things you should know to make sure you get what you may be owed.
You could have been stuck out-of-town when the CrowdStrike outage halted several airlines last week, and in the mass confusion, travel experts said you may not have known what those airlines should have been doing for you.
"I think the most important thing to know is the Department of Transportation has ruled this as a controllable event," said Dan Green from the travel insurance company Faye. "So airlines are on the hook to get you home. If you're currently on a trip, or to find you an alternate flight to get you to your destination. And they are supposed to in most cases pay for reasonable expenses, such as lodging and food along the way."
If an airline did not automatically cover your hotel, food or other transportation. make sure your listed expenses are "reasonable." The airline can reject your request or only cover a partial amount if you spent too much money on a luxury hotel or a Black car.
"Save your receipts. That's always a good idea to be able to submit," said Katy Nastro from the travel website Going. "But there might be stipulations as to what they're going to cover and provide if they haven't already provided it for you. So an even bigger tip would be to check out the travel credit card or the credit card that you use to book your travel with."
Nastro said many of those travel credit cards may be able to compensate you quickly.
Green said that travel insurance would also cover many of those expenses if you don't want to take your chances with the airline. He said fliers need to also be thinking ahead and pack appropriately for future problems.
"Be prepared," Green said. "These things happen, and they happen more and more... and just having enough things on you that you can go a day or two if things go sideways, can really make a huge difference in your sanity and happiness."
And here's a tip to put money in your pocket. Whether the event is deemed "controllable," like CrowdStrike, or if it's an "uncontrollable" weather event, U.S. DOT said if your domestic flight is delayed over three hours, or international delayed 6 hours or more, you get your cash back.
"You are entitled to request a refund for your unused ticket back to your method of payment or get rebooked on a new flight," Nastro said. "If the airline is offering you electronic credits or vouchers towards future travel, know that you can decline that, and you are entitled again by law to request a refund."
Before you submit receipts for any expenses, make sure you have the right expectations. Many airlines have limits on what they will cover and some have made different "commitments" to the government about what they may or may not pay for.
For information about the commitments of each airlines visit the Department of Transportation's website.
