The Commonly Believed Myth About Airline Cancellations That Simply Isn't True

Travel anxiety is real and it can take over your entire trip. From overpacking to overthinking, there's a lot that can go through your mind before your trip even begins. You worry about your checked luggage being overweight. You wonder about what to do when your flight is canceled. You check your bag for the hundredth time to make sure your passport is still there. In your head, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

The internet is no help in these situations. There are plenty of travel myths floating around that unnecessarily add to the anxiety. For example, one of the common myths about flying is that an airline can and will cancel your flight if it is under-booked. This simply isn't true. While it may seem like a waste of money for an airline to fly a nearly empty plane, it is very rare that they will cancel. There are plenty of operational factors to take into account, so unless the airport you're flying out of or into is experiencing adverse weather or the aircraft you're flying in needs to be taken off service, you can rest assured that your flight will continue as scheduled.

Traveling by plane is never as simple as getting from point A to point B. There are countless factors that go into making sure flights are able to operate safely and smoothly. For example, planes, as well as their pilots and crews, operate on a strict schedule with a specific sequence of flights. Taking a plane out of commission just because it's under-booked just doesn't make sense. Further, canceling a flight will make it difficult for flight attendants and the rest of the crew to work their scheduled segments, setting off a domino effect that can lead to delays as the next segment scrambles to look for a new plane and a crew to take care of its passengers.

Another thing to note is that an empty seat map doesn't mean that the flight isn't full. Many airlines require passengers to pay extra if they want to choose their own seats. Those who pick the most basic fare forgo that privilege and are assigned a seat usually right before boarding starts. Seats that are remaining after that will likely go to standby passengers. As a result, while the seats look empty, they will likely be filled before the plane takes off. So if you're worried about your flight randomly being canceled due to low capacity, this information should make you less afraid to fly.