Travelers know to expect trouble when severe weather strikes, but it’s not just limited to hurricanes and blizzards.
Excessive heat can also impact flights.
“The weight at which you can operate (max gross takeoff weight) decreases as the temperature goes up,” explained Kathleen Bangs, a former airline pilot and current spokesperson for FlightAware, which tracks flight status in real time. “The hotter and more humid the surrounding air is, the more aircraft components and airfoil performance degrade.”
There are maximum temperatures set for aircraft performance, but it doesn’t have to get that hot for flights to be canceled or delayed, among other disruptions.
Here’s what travelers should know.
How does heat affect flights?
“As either altitude or temperature increase, the performance of the engines and the aircraft deteriorate,” said Robert Mann, an independent airline industry analyst and a former airline executive who is now president of R.W. Mann & Company. “Engines produce less power, wings produce less lift and the combination results in the reduced ability to carry revenue payload.”
That leaves airlines with a choice: “Do I offload people?” Mann asked. “Do I wait until the temperature goes down for the rest of the day?”
A third option, he said, is to “carry all the passengers and bags, but we won’t load fuel to destination. We’ll have to stop somewhere between here and there to refuel.”
He’s seen all three happen and personally been among those offloaded.
What temperature stops flights?
“It’ll depend on the aircraft and on the distance you’re expecting to fly it,” Mann said.
Another factor is elevation.
“When you combine high elevation and high temperatures it becomes even more limiting,” Bangs said.
How common are heat-related disruptions?
It’s hard to say how flights are impacted by extreme heat because, as Bangs noted, any numbers get reported with other weather-related issues like thunderstorms. However both she and Mann said heat-related disruptions are uncommon, particularly for large aircraft.
“Years ago jets couldn’t operate normally in extreme high heat surface temperatures, but with technological advances, that is not as much of an issue now, although crews still have to carefully monitor brakes to make sure they don’t overheat,” Bangs said.
Climate change, however, could change that.
“As global temperatures rise even a degree, it will make a difference,” Mann said. “At the margin, it may make enough of a difference that you have to consider either weight limiting the aircraft or changing the number of passengers you’re willing to load on that day.”
Can you get compensation for delays?Not always
What happens if your flight is canceled?
Airlines will generally book travelers on the next flight with available seats.
Travelers who choose not to rebook are entitled to a refund for their canceled flight, according to the Department of Transportation. That’s true for any canceled flight, regardless of the reason or ticket type.
Mann encourages travelers to think ahead for any flight.
“I don’t go to the airport without knowing what my alternative might be, if I have to,” he said. “Whether you’re flying the airplane or whether you’re a passenger on the airplane, you need to know what your alternatives are.”
