What to do if your flight is cancelled or delayed
The fair is not the only headache when it comes to air transportation, but worst of all nightmares is flight delays or cancellations. The nightmare of finding alternative transportation, or in worst case scenarios spending the night at airport is really painful. However, panic in an emergency creates another panic, so getting yourself prepared before time can help. Following are few tips for being prepared before time which can help you in case of delayed or a cancelled flight.
Know your rights
It’s really painful to hear the news of a flight delay and no one likes or enjoys that in any case especially for the people traveling for business or flying with kids. It’s not a wedding party or a prom night to have all the fun and enjoy the night, it’s a delayed flight which is a nightmare. But unfortunately the flight delays and cancellations are so common. In 2014 alone around 100,000 flights were cancelled which is about 1 in 35, according to Forbes. As it’s a common phenomenon so most airlines have some type of contingency plan for the passengers who are displaced due to cancellations. Most airlines will give passengers a refund or a seat on the next available flights, solely depending on the circumstances of cancellation. Some carriers may also rebook the next earliest possible flight with another airline, but this practice Is not very common. So to avoid hustle the best practice is to be aware of the airline’s policy before you book a flight with them, so just in case things go wrong, you will be aware of your rights.
Ask for compensation
Some of the times, a cancelation means a delay of maximum one hour but it can also mean a delay and wait of several hours which may extend to one whole day. In such case, ask about the accommodation or meal, hotel vouchers. Airlines mostly give such facilities in case of delayed or cancelled flights. These may also include a transportation or executive car service like Oakville Airport limousine Services, but they will not give such service unless asked.
Explore the compensation options
Most airlines offer may seem really generous at first, but the most important thing is to know all of the options before booking your flight with a specific airline. If you sign up or accept any offer or freebies too early, that could mean waiving your eligibility for additional compensation down the line. Most of the time, gate agent will reveal all the potential compensation upon request, and if they don’t then you can call the airline directly for the detailed information before your sign up or agreeing to anything.
Take benefit from traveler’s insurance
This may not seem as a good idea for infrequent fliers, but for the people who have to travel frequently can have such insurance policies. The more you travel, the more is the possibility of cancellation, delay or diverted flights. Travel insurance can provide lots of compensation in such cases.
So by following such tips, and working on the things before time, you can save yourself lots of hustle, pain and cost while traveling by air.