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Comments (10)
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Save/ShareThe number of flights canceled in the first 15 days of June was up a whopping 91 percent compared with the same period last year, according to this article in the Wall Street Journal. Airline delays were also widespread. Roughly one out of three U.S. flights failed to arrive on time from June 1 through June 15. Passengers on Northwest and United have been particularly hard hit by both cancellations and delays.
To cope with summer air travel, consider these tips from Budget Travel's editors:
Wield your cell phone like you're Jerry Macguire. If you're at the airport when your flight is canceled, call the airline's 800 number while you're walking to the airline counter (and stay on while in line); this increases your chance of getting on the next flight. To be prepared, print out this wallet card with a list of airline 800-numbers.
Get confirmation numbers. If you're not planning on rebooking yourself onto a later flight, then get a confirmation number, or, even better, a confirmation email. If you don't have proof in writing, you're facing an uphill battle if the charge eventually shows up on your credit card bill.
Sign up for alerts from your airline. If your airline won't send text messages to your phone, then you can always use Google. Just send a text message to "Google" (466453) from your cell phone and you can get all kinds of info. For flight arrival/departure info, type the flight number; for example, for Delta Flight 395, type DL395--the code you'll find on your boarding pass. If you have access to a Web browser, you can access FlightStats.com.
Be wary of tight connections. If your itinerary requires you to change planes, you face a risk that you may not make your onward connection if your first flight is delayed. Budget-conscious travelers often face this problem for a simple reason: Some online travel websites sell discounted tickets with layovers that require you to make unreasonably tight connections (or implausibly quick transits through airports). Be attentive to the layover time between flights and consider paying a little more to book an itinerary with additional time to make any connections.
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After a ground delay at Yellowstone Regional Airport on a recent business trip, I missed a United connection in Denver. The re-booking line at the customer service desk snaked through Terminal B, but no one was using the little do-it-yourself kiosks nearby. Instead of call the 800 number--which was likely overwhelmed by frantic callers--I pulled up my flight info at the kiosk. United had already rebooked me, and I put my name on a standby list for an earlier flight. The whole process took three minutes, leaving me time to work instead of tap my toe while standing in line. Moral of the story? Don't be afraid to use those helpful kiosks!
Posted By pbb on June 26, 2007, 4:56 PM
Very helpful and informative post!
Posted By Joshua Ledwell on June 27, 2007, 11:52 AM
Yes! The kiosks are wonderful! Calling the 800# is also a great time
saver! What else? Common sense! If you see your connecting flight
pulling into the gate with SMOKE billowing out of the engine - it's NOT a goos sign! I had that happen to me and immediately called my airline to rebook me. Sure enough, I got a connecting flight when the original flight was canceled while many others - who witnessed the same thing - got stranded because they waited until the airline told them there was a 'mechanical' issue and the flight was canceled!
Also, in the summer - fly as early in the day as possible - MUCH LESS LIKELY to encounter weather delays due to severe weather!
Posted By SRT on June 28, 2007, 9:20 AM
Be nice. The counter agent didn't cause the problem or the delay. One of my flights on American was recently canceled, stranding me at the Dallas airport overnight. Although I was not actually eligible for complimentary accommodations, the agent made arrangements for a free room, probably because I was the only person not yelling at her.
Posted By Toby on June 28, 2007, 10:37 AM
A recent connection delay on delta was going to cause me to miss another connection later. I went to customer service IMMEDIATELY before the rest of the folks realized what was happening. I was courteous to the rep and asked for her name so that I could commend her in a letter to Delta (which I later did). She got me on another flight and I got home 3 1/2 hours earlier than if I had stayed the course plotted by Delta. The rep was happy and gave me two meal vouchers. Being mean never pays.
Posted By COLT on June 28, 2007, 11:36 AM
These are all excellent ideas. But what is even better was a recent experience with American Airlines. They actually called--a real person, as soon as they knew about the delay, to inform me. This saved me some aggravation and actually made a bad situation worse!
Posted By Toddon14th on June 28, 2007, 6:05 PM
Five of us were flying last Monday to Gulfport, MS to do Hurricane Katrina relief work. Our Atlanta connection was a nightmare. Even though we had a two hour layover, it didn't help, for our connecting flight was finally cancelled 2+ hours after its departure time. We were told the airline couldn't get us to Gulfport until Wednesday. Bottom line, they flew us into New Orleans late Monday night. The cheapest hotel rooms we could find were $140 each, and we had to get our own transportation from New Orleans to Gulfport on Tuesday morning. Our luggage with our work clothes didn't arrive in Gulfport until Tuesday night. AND I had been on my cell phone with Air Tran, Delta, Hertz, Budget etc for hours trying to arrange a way to get there earlier. Advice: take a carry on with sufficient necessities to last you at least two days. And have a backup plan. If you must be somewhere, go at least a day earlier. Sorry, but that is reality today with flying (I average 40+ flights a year).
Posted By Vicki Lewis on July 2, 2007, 10:52 AM
That 'be nice' advice works wonders. I had some minor damage to a bag and deliberately downsized the amount I wanted to receive. The agent gave me more than what I asked for, probably because I was the only one not yelling at him. Another thing: You can't say thank you often enough.
Posted By Harold Flagg on July 2, 2007, 2:45 PM
I've read the "call the 800 number" advice many times and I still do it, though the only time it has ever been helpful was when I was a Premier or Premier Executive flyer with United. Since I haven't been flying quite as often the past two years and lost my special status with the airline, I've been told every time I've called the 800 number that they can't help me and that I have to go to the customer service counter (no surprise -- it's always been at O'Hare!). Of course, the lines are so long that by the time you get to talk to customer service, all the flights are booked. SO, I don't do that anymore. I look at the screen and find the gates for the next two flights to my destination and go directly to those gates to start making my inquiries about getting on the stand-by list. It works. The last time it happened to me I was the last person to get on the last flight to my destination, while the other poor souls from my original cancelled flight were still standing at the end of a LONG customer service line and destined for a sleepless night in the airport (it was weather related, hence no hotel vouchers). Patience is the first necessary ingredient in such situations, and common courtesy is only common sense -- the airlines can't control the weather. Of course, the new kiosks are also definitely an advantage.
Posted By Beth on July 3, 2007, 12:27 AM
Thanks for this very good article … Can i translate this and insert on my site in Poland? … Thanks
Posted By drożdżowa pizza on March 11, 2012, 9:11 AM