When natural disasters ground flights do you get your money back?

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A lot of people planning on a tropical getaway saw it slip away after tropical storm Iselle blew into Hawaii early Friday morning.

It caused over 50 flights around the world to be cancelled, including two from Vancouver International Airport.

When flights are suddenly grounded like this, do travelers automatically get their money back for that lost ticket?

Claire Newell with Travel Best Bets says not necessarily.

She says you should make sure you are up to speed on what is happening in that part of the world, before you buy any seat.

Newell says if an advisory has been issued for that area, and you purchase your ticket after that, you will likely not get your money back.

She says that is because the airlines think you had advanced warning there was a risk that it could be cancelled.

“It could be political unrest, it could be weather situations, it could be all sorts of things, but once there is a situation you really should think twice about going.”

Newell says people who bought their seats before the hurricane warnings in Hawaii should be reimbursed for their loss.

“They can actually request a full refund with no penalty, or they can have their date reissued at a later time. They just have to make sure it is the same class of service.”

No other flights are expected to be affected because of the weather in Hawaii this weekend.

Hurricane Julio, has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm, and is predicted to miss the islands.

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