With airline travel, you never know what’s going to happen. As I tell my daughter, who I go to visit in Spain frequently, there are a dozen things that can go wrong. I breathe a sigh of relief after each step: little traffic on the way to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, having your documents and ticket, getting through security, making it to the gate in time, changing planes in time, and more.
Now, air travel may be less chaotic over the Thanksgiving holiday since the government shutdown and mandated flight cuts have ended. However, a leak in the Olympic Pipeline east of Everett, Wash., and its shutdown, is disrupting jet fuel transportation to Sea-Tac Airport.
Jet fuel is now being transported to the airport in tanker trucks. During the pipeline’s shutdown, airlines have needed to stop long-haul flights at nearby airports to refuel, and have been tankering in fuel on incoming flights. Fuel tankering is when an aircraft carries excess fuel to reduce or eliminate refueling at its destination.
On Tuesday, the pipeline was partially restarted. This isn’t the first oil leak from this pipeline; leaks also occurred in 2020 and 2023.
Now, it’s Thanksgiving week, traditionally the busiest holiday for travel. Even one technical glitch or one storm in one big city can cause widespread problems. It’s happened in recent years, with disastrous results.
Passenger volume this week is expected to increase by 2 percent compared with a year ago and set a new record of nearly 6.1 million travelers, according to AAA.
“We have two key pieces of advice: Know you have lots of rights, and control what you can control,” Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director for the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, a public interest group, said in a statement.“Flyers have rights when it comes to refunds, lost baggage, tarmac delays (which have increased significantly this year), disruptions that are the airlines’ fault and more.”
Travelers have a right to a full refund if a flight is canceled or significantly delayed, defined as arriving more than three hours late, Murray said. It doesn’t matter why it happened. But many travelers don’t want a refund. They want to get where they were going as quickly as possible.
To navigate this situation, U.S. PIRG recommends:
- If you don’t already have it, get the airline’s app on your phone.
- If you want a refund, you’re entitled to it. To get to your destination, you should immediately:
- Learn when the airline says it can get you on another flight, and see if that works for you, and
- Check if there’s another airline at the same airport that has seats available on its next flight to your destination.
- If you’re delayed and the disruption is the airline’s fault, defined as “controllable,” you’re eligible for some consideration from airlines, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, or DOT. Request meal vouchers, hotels, and ground transportation. Even if the cancellation or delay isn’t the airline’s fault and if the airline rebooks you and you’ll arrive three hours or more later, you can still ask the airline to cover your hotel, food, and ground transportation.
- If you can get a seat on another airline, ask the airline that canceled or delayed your flight to transfer your ticket at no cost to you. Airlines don’t have to do this unless it’s a “controllable” cancellation or delay, and they’ve vowed to the DOT they’ll honor this. Many will do this, if you ask. As of November 2025, airlines that have made this vow are Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, and United. Those that haven’t are Allegiant, Frontier, Southwest, and Spirit.
- If the airline can’t or won’t rebook you on their airline or with a competitor at a time that works for you, you may have to regroup. This could mean buying a new ticket on another airline and using the money from the refund to cover all or most of the cost. But you likely won’t get your refund for seven to 20 days, depending on how you paid. If you want a refund and ask for it and the airline refuses or tries to push you toward a voucher that you don’t want, tell them it’s required by law. Then file a complaint with the DOT.
U.S. PIRG recommends controlling what you can by:
- Downloading the airline’s app to stay on top of notifications.
- Knowing the size and weight limits for carry-on bags. They vary by airline.
- Getting to the airport earlier than normal. Some airlines bump people off overbooked flights based on who arrives last.
- Putting trackers in all of your bags, including carry-ons, which might get gate-checked.
Murry also suggests being nice. The customer service person you’re dealing with is more likely to help you if you don’t yell at or blame them.
