With the brutal snowstorm that many of our readers are enduring in the Eastern US, we thought it might be helpful to deviate from our normal articles on discount airfare, airfare coupons, cheap flights, etc. and instead blog about flight cancellation procedures. While most travelers have endured a flight delay or two during their lifetime, not many have experienced their worst nightmare, a weather related flight cancellation during the holiday season. Hopefully, this information will help you get through this insurmountable inconvenience with little or no emotional scaring.
Remain Calm
The most important thing to do is remain calm. While your travel woes are hugely inconvenient, there are thousands of other would-be passengers in the exact same boat as you. Weather related cancellations are not the fault of the ticket agent, so getting angry and making demands will simply lessen your chances of getting any satisfaction from the airline. Although not as frequently as a few years ago, stranded passengers who have been polite when dealing with the airline's ticket agent have even received a little "inconvenience compensation." To find out if your particular carrier offers this benefit, simply ask the agent. If the answer is “yes” the compensation usually comes in the form of a food voucher - and food can be soothing during difficult times.
In Person
Even though the lines are long, we recommend speaking with the ticket agent in person rather than calling the airline so that you can request a flight on a competing carrier. While all flights will be booked up very quickly by stranded passengers, having the ticket agent transfer your ticket electronically to another flight or another carrier is the way to go. You will have a new boarding pass in hand and you will be less likely to get bumped from the new flight due to overbooking. You can even bring a list of other airline schedules and flight numbers with you to assist the agent. But remember, the more polite and courteous you are to the agent, the more polite and courteous they will be to you.
Luggage
If you're able to get booked on another flight, you'll need to make sure you know where your luggage is and how it will get to you. It's important to plan your luggage transfer with the agent and not leave this to chance. If you don’t make arrangements for your luggage, you could find yourself spending your travel money on new clothes. Hopefully, you have followed our previous advice and have one outfit in your carry-on luggage.
Contact Info
When rescheduling your flight always give the airline your mobile telephone number. Most commercial airlines will attempt to contact passengers if there are additional changes, delays, or flight cancellations.
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