Business Travel Tips

How to deal with flights that are cancelled

Cancelled flights are very annoying. Airlines do not enjoy cancelling flights because if they cancel one flight this can affect many other flights at connecting airports for the rest of the day.

Weather is the most frequent reason flights are cancelled. If there is a snow storm outside you can understand why a flight has been cancelled but flights can get cancelled when it is fine and clear outside. What you have to remember is that even if it is sunny where you are, there may be bad weather where the flight is coming from, or in the area the flight has to pass through. There could be thunderstorms, sandstorms or even a typhoon. If you are catching a long flight, there is a high chance it could be affected by weather anywhere on Earth.

Mechanical problems also lead to cancelled flights.  You definitely don’t want to fly in a plane that has mechanical problems but it can still be very frustrating.

Delays can also by the cause of cancelled flights. The crew is not allowed to wait for too long as there are rules saying when they are allowed to fly and when they are not so sometimes this leads to cancelled flights.

As soon as you hear that your flight has been cancelled you should phone up the airline’s toll-free number.  In fact you should be prepared and have it stored in your cell phone. You should also line up at the counter but call up the toll-free number at the same time as there is a better chance that you’ll get rebooked faster on the phone rather than at the counter.

Before you go to the airport try and make sure that you are aware of the options that are available to you if your flight is cancelled. Although most of the time you won’t need to use this information, when you do it will be very useful to you as you will be ahead of all the other customers and this increases your chances of getting a seat on the next flight.  If you do not find out beforehand, make sure you ask at the airport as soon as you can after you find out that your flight has been cancelled.

The majority of airlines will rebook you for free on the next flight available, although remember it will be on the next available flight… that has space for you. So when your flight is cancelled during peak season or at a time of continuous bad weather you could be waiting more than a few hours, in fact you could be waiting for days.

If the wait is too long for you, ask if there are any available seats with other airlines. Airlines are in competition with each other, but some airlines will get you a ticket with another airline to ensure that you get where you want to go sooner rather than later. If the flight is with a partner airline you have a greater chance of getting transferred.

If none of these options work for you and your flight is the only one that has been cancelled, try getting a connection at another city or going to a different airport. If bad weather is the cause of your flight being cancelled however you will just have to wait until it has passed.