The American airline industry is so untrustworthy that 89% of travelers are bracing for delay or cancellation | Fortune

"Unfortunately, your flight was delayed 12 hours; you're not entitled to a hotel stay nor a paltry $12 airport food voucher; and you're now paying for an extra day of the apartment and missed your museum and dinner reservations."

"A new survey of more than 1,000 U.S. travelers, conducted by Hopper Technology Solutions (HTS), found that 89% of travelers planning to fly in the next 12 months are concerned about delays or cancellations affecting their upcoming trips. Nearly one in four describe themselves as "extremely concerned" about their trips, and that sentiment is changing how they approach booking their travel."

"The findings show travelers no longer see disruptions as a rare inconvenience but a baseline expectation. According to HTS data, more than 58 million seats scheduled to depart from U.S. airports were affected by significant disruptions in 2025, up from 50 million in 2019. The frequency of what HTS calls "significant disruption days" (when more than 10% of all scheduled departing capacity is delayed over two hours or canceled within a single 24-hour period) has roughly doubled since before the pandemic."

""We've been seeing over the years not just an increase in overall general disruptions, like a delay here and a delay there, but a significant increase in what I call a significant disruption day," said Hayley Berg, Lead Economist at HTS. "Those days are increasing every year. We're up to c"

A delayed flight can turn a planned trip into a costly disruption, with travelers facing extra lodging expenses and missed reservations. A survey of more than 1,000 U.S. travelers found 89% are concerned that delays or cancellations will affect upcoming trips, and nearly one in four are extremely concerned. Disruptions are treated as a baseline expectation rather than a rare inconvenience. Data shows more than 58 million seats departing from U.S. airports were affected by significant disruptions in 2025, up from 50 million in 2019. The number of significant disruption days has roughly doubled since before the pandemic, indicating increasing frequency of major disruption events.

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