A canceled flight doesn’t necessarily mean the trip is off.
It’s fascinating how quickly an airline’s boarding area devolves from a (mostly) civil group into a frenzied stampede after the gate agent announces a canceled flight.
The announcement is a starter pistol, commencing an Olympic sprint to the nearest customer service desk. Passengers don’t know what options the airline representative will give them; they only know that every traveler who beats them to the queue means fewer solutions for them.
But did you know that there are other, more effective steps you can take to minimize the inconvenience of a canceled flight? With a bit of strategy, you can often get where you’re going with little to no delay. Here are three things you should do immediately when you learn that your flight is canceled.
Skip the Gate Agent and Get Online
Unholster your computer or phone and navigate to your airline’s “Contact” page. You can often resolve your cancellation with a quick phone call or online chat long before the serpentine customer service line starts to dwindle. For example, American Airlines offers a 24/7 live chat on its customer support page, and I have found that its wait times are often negligible.
If you’re not traveling during a major holiday, like Thanksgiving or Christmas, you can typically speak to an agent within a few minutes.
Continue Reading Article After Our Video
Recommended Fodor’s Video
Don’t Wait for Customer Service to Give You a New Itinerary
In my experience, airline representatives aren’t particularly creative with the solutions they offer for a canceled flight. They’ll often tell you the next available departure time to book your current route. You can combat this lack of imagination by searching for flights on your own via Google or the airline’s website.
Let’s say you’re waiting at your gate in Cincinnati for a Delta flight to Miami with a connection in Detroit. The airline then announces that, due to bad weather around Lake Erie, the first leg of your route has been canceled. Instead of waiting for an agent to hand you a paltry food voucher and a leaflet of “preferred” two-star partner hotels, hop online and check if there are any alternate routes. You might find that a completely different route lands you in Miami just a few minutes later than your original flight. Instead of traveling through Detroit, for example, you can connect in Atlanta—600 miles away from the storm that ruined your first itinerary.
Write down the travel times and flight numbers of this alternate travel plan and tell the airline customer service agent exactly what you’d like. If a seat is still for sale, you’ll almost certainly get it at no extra charge—no matter what it costs. I’ve never been turned down when making a request like this, and I’ve done it countless times over the years.
Depending on the reason for your canceled flight, the carrier may be willing to book you a seat on a competitor’s flight. If your current airline has no alternatives, it’s worth asking. The worst a customer service representative can do is laugh and point at you.
sihasakprachum/iStock
Fly to a Different Airport
Swapping your destination airport isn’t ideal. But if you absolutely must be somewhere, this tactic can be a lifesaver for those willing to commute an extra hour or two.
When your flight is canceled, check flights to nearby airports for availability. You may at least land within proximity of your final destination—and drive to the bed you planned on sleeping in that night. Lots of cities are served by multiple airports. If you’re flying to a major city, there’s a decent chance that another airport or two are nearby.
For example:
– San Francisco (SFO) is within driving distance from San Jose (SJC), Oakland (OAK), and even Sacramento (SMF) airports.
– Tampa Bay (TPA) is within driving distance of Orlando (MCO), Clearwater (PIE), Sarasota (SRQ), Punta Gorda (PGD), and more.
– Washington, D.C. (DCA) is within driving distance of Washington Dulles (IAD) and Baltimore (BWI).
– New York City is served by both John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA), but can also be reached by nearby Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey or New York Stewart International Airport (SWF) in upstate New York, about an hour and a half outside Manhattan.
Airline customer service representatives will not bring this option up. You’ll have to propose it yourself. I recently used this tactic to avoid missing my anniversary. After my flight into Dayton, Ohio (DAY) was canceled, I told the airline I was willing to land in nearby Columbus (CMH). My wife drove an extra 45 minutes to get me, but I was home just a couple of hours later than expected.
Book Your Flights With a Travel Credit Card
Sometimes there’s just no workaround for your cancellation. In this case, it’s smart to book your airfare with a travel credit card that offers perks such as trip delay insurance and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
These benefits automatically cover your flight when you use an eligible credit card to pay for the cash portion of your flight. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card provides up to $500 in “reasonable expenses” when your flight is delayed by at least 12 hours or requires an overnight stay. That’s more than enough for a four-star hotel and a good couple of meals.