Changes are part of air travel. Whether you fly often or only occasionally, air travel can be disrupted unexpectedly by weather, air traffic control, or mechanical issues. Even a carefully planned trip can run into problems at any time, from cancellations and schedule changes to personal circumstances that force you to alter your plans, or smaller issues like lost baggage and delays. This article discusses how to respond to common flight-related disruptions so you can get the best possible outcome. The author also shares several personal experiences dealing with irregular flight operations.

Changing Your Travel Plans for Personal Reasons

Did something suddenly come up that forced you to change your original travel plans? If you are still within 24 hours of booking and the departure date is more than 7 days away, most airlines offer a full refund (except AA and some low-cost carriers). Online travel agencies (sites like Priceline) often charge extra fees to process refunds, which is why booking directly with the airline is generally recommended, especially since prices are usually no different. Under the fare rules, changing a ticket usually comes with a fairly steep fee, ranging from tens to hundreds of dollars. Southwest Airlines does not charge change fees, and even its lowest Wanna Get Away fares can be changed freely. Alaska Airlines also stands out among premium airlines by charging neither change fees nor cancellation fees for flights departing more than 60 days later.

If you want to cancel a ticket, it may be better not to cancel right away. If your departure date is still far off, there is a chance the airline will make a schedule change, which could give you an opportunity to get a free refund. Since canceling earlier or later usually leads to the same result, you might as well wait and see whether you get lucky with a Schedule Change and can cancel at no cost.

If your plan changes because you or your travel companion gets sick, loses a job, or faces some other circumstance outside your control, and the ticket was purchased with a credit card that offers Travel cancellation insurance benefits (listed below), you may be able to File claim with the card issuer for reasonable expenses caused by canceling the trip (Cancellation charge). Common cards include:

The policy terms differ slightly from card to card, and the maximum reimbursement amount also varies. If you need to file a claim, refer to your card’s Benefits guide for the full details. In general, though, only reasons outside your control are covered. Reasons within your control usually are not eligible for reimbursement.

Schedule Change: Flight Schedule Changes

At any point before departure, an airline may revise its flight schedule. Once that happens, airlines usually send an Email notification to affected passengers right away (except Delta, which likes to make small quiet changes without much notice). Here are a few common scenarios:

Flight Number or Aircraft Type Change

If you compare the new itinerary in the Email with the old one and cannot spot any difference, check the aircraft type and flight number. Generally, this kind of change will not affect your trip, and you usually will not be entitled to compensation. However, if you already selected seats and do not want to discover at boarding that you have been moved to a middle seat in the last row, go back to the airline’s website and re-select your seats as soon as possible. If the aircraft type changes, your original seat assignment may change too.

Flight Time Change / Routing Change

If the original flight time or connecting routing changes, this may be a good chance to switch for free to a better itinerary or get a refund. Different airlines have different policies. In general, if the revised itinerary leaves you with a connection time shorter than the airport’s Minimum Connection Time (MCT), it becomes an Illegal Connection, and the airline will usually let you rebook for free or even refund the ticket. If the schedule change significantly affects your departure or arrival time, airlines will often allow a free change as well, and may even permit a change to or from a nearby airport. That means if you originally booked a cheaper flight into a larger nearby airport and planned to drive the rest of the way home, you might end up being able to switch for free to a direct flight into your local airport.

At that point, it is a good idea to check the airline’s official policy (AA, UA). Generally speaking, if the disruption affects your itinerary by more than 1 hour, getting a free change is usually easy. If it is only a matter of 10 or 15 minutes, the odds are much lower. But if there are special circumstances, even a small change can create real problems, and airline agents will often make an exception and allow a free change. For example, maybe you were planning to take the first subway of the morning to the airport, and moving the flight up by 20 minutes means you can no longer make it. Or maybe you need to connect onward to a flight on another airline after landing. A little creativity often helps you come up with a valid reason. When calling the airline, being nice to the agent can also improve your chances.

Missing Your Flight

Overslept? Got stuck in a huge traffic jam on the way to the airport? You are not alone! The author has missed flights multiple times, including on AA, UA, and DL, and managed to recover successfully every time. Airlines often have internal policies for passengers who miss flights for all kinds of odd reasons. These are commonly known as the Flat-tire rule, though they are not formally published. A Gate agent (GA) may, at their discretion, place a frequent flyer on the standby list for the next flight at no charge. Here is how to handle it:

As soon as you realize you are about to miss your flight, call the airline immediately and explain the situation. If you have not checked in by departure time, the airline may mark you as a No-show and cancel the entire ticket. While you are on the phone, you can also check upcoming flights on the same airline to see how many seats remain available, either on the airline’s booking site or via ExpertFlyer, so you understand your options. If you reach a customer service representative who refuses to put you on Standby, hang up and call again until you get a nicer CSR.

Example: The author was flying Delta from JFK to LAX, but arrived at the airport only 15 minutes before departure. Security lines were extremely long, so it was obvious there was no chance of making the flight. The author immediately spoke with a DL agent, who rebooked the ticket for free onto a later flight with a confirmed seat.

Severe Flight Delays / Cancellations

flight-cancelled

If you learn before departure that there will be a severe delay that will affect your onward connection, your best move is to immediately get in line for the Gate agent while also calling the airline. During a widespread operational meltdown, the line for rebooking can get very long, and every person ahead of you reduces your chances of getting a better alternative flight. If you have access to the airline’s lounge (Admirals Club, United Club, Delta Sky Club), head there right away and ask an agent inside for help. Lounge lines are usually much shorter, and the agents there are often very experienced.

If it is already clear that a delay or cancellation will cause you to miss your connection, you can ask to be rebooked onto a different flight. This is when doing your own homework helps. Use your phone or computer to search ITA Matrix or the airline’s official website for the best replacement itinerary, and don’t forget to check nearby airports. Then tell the agent exactly which itinerary you want and ask them to rebook you onto it. This can save them the time of searching themselves. During major flight disruptions, time is everything. Many people are trying to get out at the same time, so every minute counts.

If you are rebooked onto a shorter routing and earn fewer miles as a result, you can ask the airline to credit you the miles from your original itinerary.
If your flight is only delayed and it is still unclear whether you will make your next flight, you can ask the GA to “protect” you on the next connection after your original one. (“Protect” means holding a seat for you on a later flight in case you miss your original connection; not all airlines offer this service.) At the same time, you can still keep your original connection. If you make the original flight, great. If you miss it, you can move to the later protected flight, which is often the best option. Compared with rebooking in advance, the advantage is that if you do still make your original flight, you won’t lose your selected seat or upgrade. If you change flights too early, you may end up stuck with a terrible seat instead, like a middle seat in the last row. Compared with the “just fly to the connecting airport first and deal with it there” approach, this lets you reserve a backup option ahead of time and ensures you can still get on a later flight in the worst-case scenario.

Example: There was a thunderstorm at DFW (AA’s main hub), and almost all flights into DFW were either heavily delayed (4 hours or more) or canceled. As soon as I saw the delay notice, I immediately called AA and went to the Admirals Club in the airport to find an agent. At the same time, I used my phone to look for alternative flight options. I eventually found a flight departing from a nearby airport that could get me to my final destination the earliest, arriving only 2 hours later than my original itinerary. I showed it to the club agent right away, and she quickly booked my new ticket. By the time I had the new ticket in hand, the line at my original gate had already stretched across five gates.
Lesson: During large-scale delays and cancellations, the most important thing is to act fast. Being one step ahead can easily lead to a much better outcome.

Complaints

If the delay or cancellation was caused by something within the airline’s control, such as a mechanical issue or crew timing out, you can write to the airline to complain. In many cases, you can get some compensation. Of course, writing a complaint is an art. It helps to vividly describe the impact and losses caused by the delay, while also clearly expressing your anger or disappointment with the airline.

Example: I flew AA round-trip on LGA-LAX, and both directions were delayed because of mechanical problems, forcing itinerary changes. I arrived 4 hours late on the outbound and 2 hours late on the return, so I sent AA an angry complaint email describing the situation and received 7500 AAdvantage miles in compensation.AA-response

Claims

When something goes wrong, your first priority is of course to solve the immediate problem. After that, you can consider filing a claim with the airline. Common reasons include:

  • Flight delays or cancellations caused by aircraft mechanical problems;
  • Delays or cancellations caused by shortages of pilots or flight attendants, illness, crew scheduling, etc.;
  • Missing a later flight because an earlier flight was delayed (the flights must be ticketed or operated by the same airline);
  • Being denied a seat or bumped from the plane because of oversales :(;
  • Lost or delayed checked baggage during a connecting itinerary;
  • Ground or onboard service facilities not functioning, or poor attitude from ground staff or inflight staff;

Situations that may not qualify for compensation include delays or cancellations caused by weather, earthquakes, tsunamis, strikes, and other force majeure events. That said, some airlines may still offer compensation in such cases. Because these factors are addressed in laws and regulations, compensation cannot always be demanded. One important reminder: even if the original cause is outside the scope of compensation, you may still be able to request compensation if there were other issues, such as poor staff behavior.

For specific methods, see these two articles:

This article was originally published on rewarded.life and has been updated based on current conditions