What to do if your flight is cancelled - Weather, mechanical, etc

[crashbb]

The problem with making a tentative reservation is the cancellation cut-off times. Most hotels are, at the latest, 6pm of the day of your reservation. Depending on the timing of your flight, it is very likely that you won't know for sure if you need the room until after this time. If you wait to cancel, you are likely stuck paying for the room; on the other hand, if you cancel before 6pm, but then need the hotel, you'll be out of luck.

You leave MCO at 6pm, which means you'll definitely be after the cancellation window both there and at your stop-over. I'm not sure if your flight from Maine is AM or PM.

 

[safetymom]

I would just carry the 800 numbers of the hotels in the area and if it looks like you will need them jump on the phone before everyone else.

No need to make a tentative reservation.

 

[uva185]

Apologies if someone already posted this but here are a few more tips....

Print out a list of alternate flights you could take to get to your destination. If you are flying on a "legacy" airline you can get re-routed onto another airline. Instead of relying on the agent re-booking you to find a route if you are able to suggest alternatives it will help.

Especially during this time of year please remember when you book on "low cost" airlines such as South West, Jet Blue, Air Tran, and all the other smaller low cost airlines they do not have interline agreements and will not put you on a different airline if they have delayed or canceled flights.

While airlines do not have to provide hotels if a flight in canceled due to weather many airport hotels offer "distressed traveler" rates. Call the hotel and inquire about a distressed traveler rate.

Sign up for notifications from www.flightstats.com This is a free service and you can receive emails and text messages if your flight it canceled or delayed. Often these delays come through before a cancellation is announced in the airport and can give you the opportunity to get booked on a new flight before everyone else even knows about the cancellation.

Bavaria mentioned using airline lounges. Most if not all domestic lounges have day passes for sale. If the line for customer service at the airport is really long it might be worth it to buy a lounge day pass just to have access to customer service agents. Day passes run between $35 - $50 depending on the airline.

 

[PooohBear]

You know I just wanted to thank the OP for this thread ! I took your advice since i'm from Chicago and I was coming home on 12/16

My flight was delayed, then finally cancelled but I was prepared and got out the next morning by calling rather than waiting in the long line at the Southwest counter

So thanks !

 

[MrsNick]

On the other hand, thanks a lot for invoking the "s" word...

Hey, as long as that stuff doesn't happen in the Northeast until December 19th, I'm happy

Oh my, was that a dare? We're in for quite a storm here tomorrow (Dec. 19)!

 

[bavaria]

Bumping for the busy storm season

The single biggest tip I can give (along with all those listed above) is to stay calm and realise that there isn't that much that one can do sometimes.

Take control of your destiny and follow all of those tips, but do so with a positive attitude. I have been flying on several of the big storm dates this season (and am flying again today) and have had a perfectly pleasant time, even with several flight cancellations and long delays.

In contrast, I have seen many people running around screaming, calling airline staff names, and generally making fools of themselves. That sort of behaviour doesn't produce anything positive, and may in fact have you denied from boarding an aircraft.

Make the best of the situation, enjoy the sudden gift of free time, have a meal, or a chair massage, say something nice to the staff working overtime, and you will feel much better than the idiots who are dripping sweat and generally in a mess from hours of screaming and name-calling.

Happy flying!

 

[safetymom]

I so agree with you!!!!

 

[crashbb]

I fear I may be enjoying the confines of the-airport-that-shall-not-be-named on Christmas Eve. I was on the phone with an agent fixing up a rather large mess up (my fault - well, my aunt's fault) and the lovely agent fixed the problem but then said "Not that it really matters since the flight will be canceled anyway". I have no idea if she was basing this on anything other than Murphy's Law as there is no indication of a cancellation at this point, but after the string of bad weather we've been having, if my flight is canceled, it doesn't look like I'll be heading out before it is time for me to return!

 

[bavaria]

Well if you are still in the airport-which-shall-not-be-named on Boxing Day and/or New Year's Eve we may have to schedule a mini-CLOT meet (then again if you are still there you won't likely be in the best of moods!) My trips are still work trips so if they cancel, they cancel.

Good luck, hope that it works out....

 

[musicmama]

We return home on Christmas morning - home is outside of Philly where the weather has been pretty awful the last few days. I've got lots of info, my alerts are set, and hopefully all will go smoothly.

Thanks to the "regulars" here, especially the CLOT, for all your advice! Just wish us luck with an 8am flight.

 

[rookie2]

Thank you for all of the wonderful infromation!

 

[tiggerrr]

Something that I JUST learned -

If you are flying out of a Canadian airport that has US customs/immigration pre-clearance when flying to the US (i.e., you, for all intents and purposes, go through customs/immigration in Canada), even if your evening flight is very delayed, you may still need to go the airport, for the original flight time. Apparently, the US officials close up shop after the last scheduled flight time. So, if your flight is now leaving later than the last scheduled flight and you show up late (but in time for the new flight), you may not be able to fly and will have to wait for a flight the next day.

Probably not relevant for most posters going to WDW, but I know that some of you do visit us up here!

I just about had this happen to me 2 weeks ago, when my flight from YEG to PHX was delayed several hours. We went to get something to eat because there are no restaurants after you pre-clear. US Customs closed up shop for a while (as I learned they do every day in the afternoon when there is window of no scheduled flights). Thankfully, our flight was delayed just long enough that they reopened for the evening US flights in time for us to get through customs, then through security and onto the plane.

 

[ironz]

Bumping for the 2009 winter season....

Esp since I am sitting here in Alaska...planes not taking off or landing due to high winds (60 mph). Will definitely miss my connections in Seattle, and have a ways to travel yet.

What I am doing/have done:

1. I am patient and relaxed!
2. Just paid for an hour of wifi (should have done the daily rate, now that I know the delay is longer) so I could get online and check flight options.
3. Have 2 alternate flights that I like, and many other possibilities to choose from. Will have this info ready when it's time to meet with agents and rearrange flights.
4. Can't do anything until they know our real status, so I am not currently bugging gate agents or the ticket counter every 5 minutes.
5. Am even considering buying a refundable ticket on SW to fly from SEA to TX tomorrow as a backup. Won't lose anything if I don't need it.
6. Have extra pair of socks/underwear in my carryon. You never know!
7. Hoping for the best! Treating it like an adventure, not an inconvenience (and that doesn't mean I don't want to get home--have been on business travel for 2 weeks straight, so I do--but nothing one can do about it right now).

Cheers...

 

[debster812]

Good Luck Ironz!

I was just thinking it might be time to bump this thread up. It's been INVALUABLE to me for the past 3 winters. We'll be flying again from BOS to RSW in February, and will need to have Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C in mind, as the weather can always be dicey.

 

[love2driveinct]

Anyone know where the specific tips are found in this thread? Are they scattered around or is there a list?

I am so looking forward to our vacation in every aspect except the actual flight down on February 6th. New England in February. Yikes...

 

[ironz]

Anyone know where the specific tips are found in this thread? Are they scattered around or is there a list?

I am so looking forward to our vacation in every aspect except the actual flight down on February 6th. New England in February. Yikes...

The first post is a great summary. Then, other tips scattered through the rest of the thread as other posters shared their info (many of us are very frequent travelers).

My current status is that I am on standby for the next flight south, about to book a hotel for in Seattle, then booked on a flight for tomorrow to get the rest of the way home. And of course, now that at least 2-3 flights in/out of here were cancelled completely, the weather is lovely.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Anyone know where the specific tips are found in this thread? Are they scattered around or is there a list?

I am so looking forward to our vacation in every aspect except the actual flight down on February 6th. New England in February. Yikes...

Post # 1:

As it's the winter season, we are seeing a lot of posts about cancelled flights. Factor in the recent JetBlue mess, and there are a lot of different experiences.

Here are some thoughts from a frequent traveller. I've endured many many weather delays, an airport terminal fire, my family was delayed 5 days over 9/11, I sat on the tarmac in Munich during the '72 Olympic crisis, etc etc. In all that, I have never had to sleep in an airport....

Before your flight

• reconfirm reconfrim reconfirm - we see often people saying 'I was on vacation and didn't realize....'. Back in the old days, we had to call and reconfirm flights. Nowadays that is discouraged, but is still good advice. Sign up for a paging/messaging service offered by the airline. United calls my cel phone to advise me of flight delays/cancels
• if you ARE delayed, understand your options. Many legacy carriers 'interline' ie you can book a ticket on another airline and have it signed over. This may be an option to get to your destination, but is not always an option on low cost carriers
• if you suspect bad weather, check out your airlines website. I did this while in Colorado during the Dec blizzards, and in the NW during the Dec hurricane force storms. United was offering no charge changes for the Denver issue; for the NW issue they had nothing posted, but I asked if I could fly out of a nearby city and they waived the fees for me
• book a hotel room. Even if you may not use it, it pays to be prepared. If you see information on storms, book a room that can be cancelled (usually by 6pm on the day of arrival). I booked a room at Denver airport several nights in Dec/Jan due to the storms, and ended up using one at least once
• call a friend. If you have a friend in the local area, ask if you can stay with them. I did this in Denver. During the Dorval fire, I tried to reach my friends in Montreal with no luck.

While at the airport

• if you arrive and your fligth is cancelled or delayed, take action yourself. Don't wait for the airline to contact you - they are busy trying to solve 100's of passenger problems
• call your airline right away and ask for options. I rebooked myself on a flight during the Dorval fire while standing in line at Air Canada with 100's of other people, and never even had to speak to anyone at the airport. Those who did not have cel phones were out of luck by the time they reached the counter
• if you belong to a lounge like Red Carpet Club, go to the lounge and use the services of the agents there. Or the internet service there. Chances are that there will be fewer lines in the lounge, and you can plan in comfort.
• be flexible. If you really need to get somewhere, be prepared to take a connecting flight instead of a nonstop. If you need to break up your party so that one person can get home to work, consider that option
• consider other airlines. IF your airline interlines, you may be able to sign over the ticket. If they don't interline, you may be able to find a reasonable fare to get home/on vacation, and can dispute your cancelled flight payment later

last suggestion - KEEP YOUR COOL! I can't tell you how many times I sit in ORD during a thunder storm, watching some passenger scream and yell at the gate agent. I wouldn't want to be flying during a thunder storm - I've done it before and it's scary. Screaming and yelling will not make the agent want to help.

We've seen a few posters who made lemonade out of lemons this past week - one is flying on United in First Class today instead of on JetBlue, another planned adventures for her family during a potential 6 hour layover. Kudos to those kinds of travellers who can make a bad situation better.

Important Edit from November 2008: Since we started this thread, all airlines cut capacity quite severely into/out of MCO. As a result, there are far fewer empty seats on flights, so your chances of getting rebooked on another flight are less than in past.

Post # 8

some other thoughts

• program airline AND hotel toll free numbers into your cel phone
• take fully charged phones, even while on vacation
• bring your charger in your carryon - I have often charged my phone or laptop in the terminal for use to make such calls
• if you can, try and leave BEFORE the weather hits. With the Denver blizzards, United was trying to get people out a day before the storm hit
• stock up on food - if it looks like it will be messy at the airport, buy drinks and snacks at the gift shop. In Denver, they couldn't restock bwn blizzards and food ran low.
• always bring a change of undies - I carry two with me at all times, a lesson I learned after working with stranded international passengers after 9/11 (outside the US)
• if you can, enlist a friend at home to help out. I often get calls from colleagues asking 'are you at your desk? can you book me a room somewhere?' one poster here did that this week, and her friend at home got her booked on a flight out of MCO after JetBlue stranded her

Post # 9

If you get to the airport and your flight is delayed or cancelled, check for other flights. For instance, last week I was at ORD and my flight was delayed. I was going to the restroom when I spotted another flight, same airline, going to the same destination. Problem was that they were soliciting people to take a later flight, as this flight was oversold. I put my name on the standby list, and quietly stood by. Just before the doors closed, my name was called, and I found myself flying business class to my destination hours before my original flight was due to leave.

And if you ARE standing by, don't give up hope and leave the gate until the plane pulls away from the gate. After the Dorval airport fire, I was rebooked on a flight 3 days after my original flight. I went to the airport the next day planning to stand by for every flight; on the first flight out everyone left the gate as we were told that no standbys would make it on the flight. Lo and behold, just as they were closing the doors they spotted a seat, and since I was the only one who had remained in the gate area, the seat was mine.

Post # 10:

Thank you for the calm head of reason. It's important to always carry the 800 number of your airline in case something does happen. You don't need to stand in a line to make the changes.

Also remember that sometimes things happen. No need to rant and rave off weather issues. Remember to keep a cool head. The person behind the counter can be your friend.

Post # 14:

Thank you, Bavaria... the voice of reason!

It definitely pays to be proactive. Sometimes you can spot a delay before the airline updates the departure board by checking the arrival time of the plane coming INTO your assigned gate (i.e., the plane you'll be on eventually.) The board will tell you the airport of origin and the arrival time. If that plane is already in the air, the arrival time noted is accurate and the standard turn around time for your particular airline of choice will give you a good idea of the real departure time.

When I travel I always bring along the bag of emergency nuts, usually almonds. I break into them as a last resort and I've had to more than once. Make sure you also pack an EMPTY 16.9 or 20 ounce water bottle. Adds no weight to your carry-on and you can use drinking fountains past security to fill up as you need it.

In addition to programming airline, taxi, hotel and other important numbers into your cell phone, have them printed out on a piece of paper folded into your wallet, too. If your cell phone dies you can easily look the numbers up. Carrying an 'emergency only' calling card isn't a bad idea, either. It's lighter than coins and might even be refillable.

I generally keep a small pouch of assorted non-liquid or gel remedies and first aid items (several of each) with me in my carry-on for emergencies: tylenol, pepto, cough and cold strips, anti-bacterial wipes, bandaids, qtips, vitamins, airborne cough drops, cleanpaste floss (toothpaste and floss in one), small washcloth, empty ziplock to put washcloth in if I have to use it, mini bar soap, solid deodorant. You get the idea.

I like the underwear idea. This brings me to one of the pet peeves I have about air travelers. Clothing. It never fails to amaze me what people will wear on an airplane, from the ridiculously over-dressed to the painfully under-dressed. Comfort, modesty and cleanliness are the biggest casualties.

I digress.

Back to what Bavaria said... be proactive, be prepared. You'll thank yourself later.

Post # 17:

I'd also add the numbers of your favorite car rental agencies to your phone, and also carry a list of all of your frequent-use "club" numbers. (Paper is good here, so that you can look at the list WHILE talking on the phone.) Rental cars also go fast, especially in hub airports where passengers are stranded making a connection; it may be easier to just drive that last 200 miles.

If you have a laptop or Blackberry and a wireless account, make sure that all these things are bookmarked there -- you can usually save time and money rebooking online if you have that option, as opposed to doing it over the phone. It is good to know in advance what wireless connectivity options are available at the airports that you are passing through.

Not only should you carry your charger, but I also recommend carrying a small multi-outlet extension adapter. Power outlets are scarce in most airports, and if someone else is already using the only available outlet, being able to pull out that adapter and say "Would you be OK with sharing?" can be a lifesaver.

Consider asking for a change of route -- sometimes a really roundabout and bizarre route will be workable when weather at a connecting point or somewhere along the route is the problem. In non-weather situations, the bigger and busier the airport, the more options you'll normally have, so you may be able to add an extra leg to get somewhere that has more options. For instance, DH and several of his partners once got stranded late at Miami and told that they couldn't be put on a flight to STL until late the next afternoon; he asked to be sent to MCO to spend the night instead, because from there they could leave at 6 am. Worked like a charm.

Also, a special note about travelling with small children or anyone who has special dietary needs. Always carry at least 24 hours worth of whatever special items or foods that the person needs; baby items are not widely available in airports, and when there is a ground stop they run out super-fast.
Nuts are an especially good idea as an emergency food if you can eat them

Post # 38:

Here's sort of an odd tip... odd, but it has worked for me!

Sometimes it can help to team up with a stranger, believe it or not. This works especially well for those travelling alone, as a single person doesn't always have enough resources to juggle rebooking airline tickets and finding hotel rooms or booking a rental car.

Post # 52:

The only other suggestion that I would like to add to the great ones already on this list is to consider purchasing a one-day pass to your airlines' club when your flight is delayed.

For about $50 for one adult and about $75 for 2, you can access the club for the rest of the day. Not only are the suroundings quieter, with plenty of places to plug in your cellphone or laptop, but the agents working in the club are usually very good at finding options for other flights. Twice now, we have used this strategy when we had a long layover at a connecting airport due to a delayed flight with great success.

I would guess, however, that it works less well when the delay is due to weather problems at the airport at which you are waiting. When 1000's are stranded at the airport, it would not surprise me if they stop selling one day pasess to that club.

Happy travelling. -- Suzanne

Post # 70:

I don't think I've seen this suggestion, if for some reason your outbound flight is changed, particularly to another carrier, double check your return flight. The computer system may cancel your return flight if you don't take your outbound flight.

Post # 73:

I read this thread for the first time a year ago, right before our March BOS-MCO trip. Well, my son and I ended up getting stranded on the way home at JFK, and sleeping on the floor of that airport all night long. I remembered this thread! Anyway, my biggest tip for anyone potentially going to be stranded...I had a portable DVD player with me, it SAVED my life that night!! I was the envy of everyone around me. I had an entire season of Grey's Anatomy with me, and literally watched about 7 hours of it. It was awesome and it really passed the time. It was the longest night of my life. And why the heck when JFK has thousands of poor people trying to sleep everywhere that they don't turn that blasted loud music off?? Anyway, bring DVD and charger with you, you'll be glad you did.

Post # 75:

Bumped for Easter/Spring Break travel

PLEASE a reminder to not let your emotions take control. You have the power to control your destiny, if you educate yourself a little beforehand.

And yet another reminder:

There is no pixie dust when it comes to Transportation

Post # 78:

This came up in another thread, and I'm not sure it is clearly stated here, so I thought I'd add it:

If you are in a canceled flight situation, tell the agent if you are able/willing to change your departure and/or arrival city. Most go into "automatic pilot" mode and look for flights between the original A and B. If you are willing to fly from C or into D, TELL THEM.

For example, I was flying to Fort Lauderdale one Christmas and the flight got canceled. Getting to FLL was going to take a day, but I could get to Miami or West Palm Beach. Since both these other airports were reasonable for the person picking me up (actually West Palm was even better than FLL), I got one of those flights. This didn't work for those who had car rentals waiting at FLL (a last minute car rental over Christmas from the new airport would have been insanely expensive), but it worked for me, so I made sure that the agent knew that.

Post # 85:

I agree this should be a sticky; it's a wonderful thread with some excellent advice!

I have to share a story from my trip to China in May 2006. Our tour group was scheduled to fly from Xi'an to Guilin (we flew from city to city and a new tour guide met us at each stop). The flight was diverted because of "fog" (whether that was the real reason or not, I have no idea!) to a city called Changsha. I won't go into too many details because this is a very long story, but I learned a couple of things from the experience. #1, if you are stranded in a foreign country, it is indescribably helpful to have someone in your group who speaks the native language. I don't know where we'd be today without those 2 ladies! The whole process was very confusing. #2, the Chinese airlines, at least the one we were on, treated their passengers like GOLD compared to the airlines in North America when it comes to delays. We were stuck for ~10 hours, and we got the following free of charge: a boxed lunch, bottled soda/juice, and a bus ride to a hotel where we could wait. Granted, the hotel was about a 0.10 star on a scale of 1-5, but I'm not sure that there was anything better in the whole city! That was probably my most harrowing story of a delay; we THOUGHT at one point that the flight might be cancelled outright...what a long day that was!

Post # 88:

Bumping this up in honour of the uninformed travellers yesterday who felt the need to crowd around me for 'advice' (I held an unintended seminar on 'what to do if your flight is delayed' yesterday at a small town airport)

Here is a tip: when your flight is severely delayed, causing you to miss your connection, don't stand in the hour long line and call your mother and ask her if cargo shorts, a tank top, and 4 inch heels will be okay to wear for a formal dinner tomorrow night.

Call you AIRLINE and get yourself rebooked first! Then call your mother....

Post # 103:

Apologies if someone already posted this but here are a few more tips....

Print out a list of alternate flights you could take to get to your destination. If you are flying on a "legacy" airline you can get re-routed onto another airline. Instead of relying on the agent re-booking you to find a route if you are able to suggest alternatives it will help.

Especially during this time of year please remember when you book on "low cost" airlines such as South West, Jet Blue, Air Tran, and all the other smaller low cost airlines they do not have interline agreements and will not put you on a different airline if they have delayed or canceled flights.

While airlines do not have to provide hotels if a flight in canceled due to weather many airport hotels offer "distressed traveler" rates. Call the hotel and inquire about a distressed traveler rate.

Sign up for notifications from www.flightstats.com This is a free service and you can receive emails and text messages if your flight it canceled or delayed. Often these delays come through before a cancellation is announced in the airport and can give you the opportunity to get booked on a new flight before everyone else even knows about the cancellation.

Bavaria mentioned using airline lounges. Most if not all domestic lounges have day passes for sale. If the line for customer service at the airport is really long it might be worth it to buy a lounge day pass just to have access to customer service agents. Day passes run between $35 - $50 depending on the airline

Post # 106:

Bumping for the busy storm season

The single biggest tip I can give (along with all those listed above) is to stay calm and realise that there isn't that much that one can do sometimes.

Take control of your destiny and follow all of those tips, but do so with a positive attitude. I have been flying on several of the big storm dates this season (and am flying again today) and have had a perfectly pleasant time, even with several flight cancellations and long delays.

In contrast, I have seen many people running around screaming, calling airline staff names, and generally making fools of themselves. That sort of behaviour doesn't produce anything positive, and may in fact have you denied from boarding an aircraft.

Make the best of the situation, enjoy the sudden gift of free time, have a meal, or a chair massage, say something nice to the staff working overtime, and you will feel much better than the idiots who are dripping sweat and generally in a mess from hours of screaming and name-calling.

Happy flying!

Okay, I think I got 'em all. But while this post is for convenience, reading the entire thread is interesting in itself. It includes personal experiences with delays.

 

[love2driveinct]

Thanks so much Katieeldr -- it was so nice of you to put that all together in one post, I really, really appreciate it!!

Lots of great tips and suggestions in there... and while they are all on the "common sense" end of things, I can't say that I would have thought of all of them on my own, so kudos to all of you for sharing your experiences.

 

[debster812]

Thanks so much Katieeldr -- it was so nice of you to put that all together in one post, I really, really appreciate it!!

Lots of great tips and suggestions in there... and while they are all on the "common sense" end of things, I can't say that I would have thought of all of them on my own, so kudos to all of you for sharing your experiences.

love2driveinct--if you have some time, you should definitely give the entire thread a read. Like others have said, there are lots of good personal anecdotes, etc. It really is a great resource. I'm subscribed to this thread and check it every year. I hear you about flying in February!

 

[locolala]

This is hands down, the best thread I've ever read. I've flown around the world a couple of times, and dealt with my share of delayed/cancelled/rerouted flights. I think the worst was flying to Scotland after coming home for Christmas break (did a year at university out there). My original flight out of IAD was delayed, then the flight out of Amsterdam was delayed, then when we got to Glasgow, the plane sat on a runway for 45 minutes waiting for a plane that had been delayed to move from the jetway. What was normally a 12 hour trip became a 36 hour trip. Luckily I built in time so that I wouldn't miss classes if this happened. I always carry a full change of clothes (other than shoes) in my carryon just in case. It was interesting trying to lug a suitcase through the snow once I got to Stirling, but I pack my clothes in water proof bags just in case my bag gets wet.

Anyhow, I saw SO MANY people having a meltdown because the flights were delayed. I told one woman that unless she took a hair dryer and melted the snow, we weren't going to get out of there anytime soon. I hope she didn't believe me.. I just curled up near a heating vent with my schoolwork and a light blanket that I carry. I always have stuff to do while travelling, whether it's a book, a movie, or school stuff.