Travel can be a wonderful thing. It allows you to see the world, spend more time with your loved ones, and explore your hobbies. Unfortunately, just like anything else in the world, airlines aren’t always 100% predictable. A last-minute cancellation or delay could throw your entire vacation plan out of the window, and leave you searching for a way to save your trip.
Even if you’ve spent days carefully planning every step of your journey, a delay could mean that you’re suddenly de-railed, turning your dream vacation into a nightmare. The important thing to remember is that how you react to a delayed flight, could determine just how disastrous the overall experience is. Here, we’ll look at a few of the things you should do when your flight’s delayed, to get yourself, and your family back on track.
1. Know Your Rights
First, it’s important to know what rights you have as a passenger when your airline messes up your travel plans. In most cases, the company you’re flying with will do what they can to put you on the next flight available, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t necessarily apply for compensation too. Ultimately, you’ll need to learn as much as you can about the regulations surrounding your airline to determine whether you could potentially get some money back on your missed time.
For the meantime, remember that if your flight is delayed, you should be eligible to get food and drink for free if you’re waiting to get onto a new plane. Speak to your travel attendants if you need some extra help.
2. Be Proactive
When a plane is canceled or delayed, one thing you can bet on is that the airport staff and gate agents are going to be swamped trying to answer the questions of all the unhappy passengers that were supposed to be on the same flight as you. Instead of waiting around to get the same answer as everyone eels, make sure that you call up the airline’s customer service center to book yourself on the next available flight. It’s generally much faster than dealing with busy agents and a huge customer line.
On the other hand, you could always see whether you can rebook your flight online, using either the airline’s website or the company app. Various major carriers make it easier for their customers to choose from alternative flight options when journeys are delayed.
3. Ask About Hotel and Meal Credits
As mentioned above, even if you’re not necessarily eligible for compensation from your delayed flight, that doesn’t mean that your airline shouldn’t do everything possible to keep you comfortable. When you’re faced with a delay that’s going to take at least four hours or longer to get you onto a new flight, ask the staff at the airport whether you can access any hotel vouchers or free meals. If the airline has the authority to give you these freebies, they will, to keep arguments to a minimum.
The guidelines around what you can access from an airline when your flight is delayed will differ according to the brand that you’re flying with, so read up on the literature online if you’re not sure what you can ask for.
4. Negotiate with the Airline
Ultimately, the best way to make sure you get what you deserve when your flight is delayed or canceled is to make sure that you don’t jump into action too quickly. Don’t accept any offers from your carrier, or sign anything that might allow the airline to avoid paying you compensation in the future. If you move too quickly, you could waive your right to a payment that you deserve at a later time.
Remember to look up your options online, and speak to customer service agents on social media if you’re not having any luck in person. Remember, many big airlines have an active team of social managers available to handle customer disputes when things go wrong. Logging onto Facebook or Twitter could be more time effective than waiting for an agent to become available at the airport.
5. Consider Travel Insurance in the Future
Finally, if you find yourself frequently dealing with problems surrounding delayed and canceled flights, then it might be a good idea to consider travel insurance in the future. While this option won’t be right for everyone, it could be a good way to improve your chances of being able to claim if you’re not eligible for compensation for a specific airline. Just make sure you read the fine print before you pay for anything.
