After having chats with several people who travel by air regularly, it was realized that virtually every one of them has faced either a flight delay or a cancelled flight before. They all gave the reasons for the cancellation of their flights. From what they said, here are the common causes of cancelled flights.
Bad Weather
This is definitely the most common cause of cancelled flights and what sets it apart from other causes is that if your airline has the cause to cancel your flight because of bad weather, you are not entitled to any compensation. Your insurance company will only step in if your policy covers flight delays or cancelled flights.
From one angle, you may not like the idea of being delayed without any compensation. From another perspective, how will you feel when you are already in the air and your plane can neither go forward to its destination nor turn back to its origin of the flight because of bad weather? At that point, you will blame the airline for not heeding to weather forecast right? You won’t think of how much time you have wasted and neither will you think of arriving at the event late because you are not even sure you will arrive alive. This is what should cross your mind whenever your flight is cancelled because of inclement weather. It is for your own good. Once you have that at the back of your mind, you will remain cool and calm whenever your flight is cancelled.
Computer Glitch
One of the travelers complained that his flight was cancelled because of a computer glitch that brought the whole system down for some hours. That was when he realized that no airline flies in isolation. The glitch affected all the flights that were scheduled to take place in that airport. What made things worse was that nobody could be booked to another flight since all flights were cancelled. By the time the glitch was resolved, many flights could not take off again. Most of them were rescheduled.
Security Issues

The current height of terrorism and crime all around the world gives cause for concern. Airports now operate at the highest security standards. So, an issue as simple as a bomb scare could cause a series of cancelled flights. It does not matter whether the scare occurred in your take-off point or in your intended destination, once there is a bomb scare, all flights will be temporarily grounded.
Mechanical Issues
Mechanical issues are another common reason for airlines to cancel or delay flights. Yes, it is possible for a flight to be cancelled if the plane is found to be faulty. Minor faults may only cause a flight delay, but serious mechanical issues usually lead to flight cancellations. In this kind of situation, your airline must compensate you, book you on another flight, or give you a refund. This does not mean you should yell angrily or take it out on the staff or representatives of the airline. It is better to remain calm. You can choose to either blame them for not foreseeing the fault or commend them for not flying you and other passengers in a faulty plane. It all depends on your perception.
Conclusively, your best bet is to always prepare for flight delay or cancelled flight. You can’t drive for years without encountering a flat tire, the same way you can’t fly for years without facing a cancelled flight once in a while. Just prepare for it and know your rights.
Header Image: https://images.pexels.com/