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
While at the airport
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.
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.