It's easy to feel
yourself tumbling into a state of panic when you hear those horrifying words at
the airport, "Flight Cancelled." After all, whether you're on
your way to a family holiday, or you're waiting to get home after a long trip, no-one
likes to spend unnecessary hours waiting around for someone to tell them that
they can finally board.
1. Know Your
Compensation Rights
2. Do Your
Homework
3. Book Flights with
Care
4. Prep for Each
Flight
5. Manage the Crisis
with Care
Although there's a good chance that you'll be
able to get some compensation for your troubles if the flight your taking is
from or to somewhere in the EU, that might not make you feel a lot better
straight away. On the other hand, the following steps could ensure that you
feel confident and empowered the next time you find yourself in a
travel-related bind.
As mentioned above, if you're flying within
the EU, then the good news is that you do have some rights when it comes to
compensation. Although the amount of support you're entitled to can vary
depending on who you fly with, you should be eligible for something if your
flight is cancelled or delayed for a period of three hours
or more.
Importantly, you will only be eligible for
compensation if the reason or your flight cancellation was under the
control of the airline. In other words, you might not get anything
if you're grounded because of a bad weather condition or something
similar.
Before you even book your flight, there are
steps you can take to reduce your risk of a travel disaster. For instance, you
can research the cancelled-flight and on-time-arrival records for
your chosen airlines. Though this won't tell you for certain whether your flight
will be cancelled or not, it can at least help you to choose someone
to fly with who has a good history.
At the same time, it's worth
looking into other airports close-by that you may be able to drive to
if they can offer you a flight in the case of an emergency. The more research
you do before your flight date arrives, the more likely you are to be ready for
anything when disaster strikes.
Another thing you can do to reduce your risk
of a flight cancellation is make sure that you book your travel plans with care. For instance,
although it can be much cheaper to pay for a connect-flight, you'll be much
better off with a direct trip if you do happen to be hit by a delay or
cancellation. The more connections you have, the more risk you have of facing a
problem.
At the same time, it's a good idea to make
sure that you book the first flight of the day whenever you can. Late flights
are generally more likely to suffer from compounded issues caused by backlogs
throughout the day.
Prepping for your flights will help you to
ensure that you have a very limited risk of encountering any unforeseen problems. For instance, when you book
your trip, you can sign up for flight alerts to be sent straight to your phone
whenever there's the chance that something could go wrong. You can also
download the airline's app if they have one to keep an eye on your plane.
Another way to make sure that you're
prepped for your flight is to check the weather in both your starting and
finishing destinations. Watch out for any storms that might be coming your way,
and make sure that you pack a carry-on, rather than taking all of your luggage
in a large suitcase if you can manage it. If you can move quickly after a
flight cancellation, you could be one of the first people to get a seat with
another airline.
Finally, as soon as you hear about a delay or
cancellation, start taking steps to fix the issue. Speak to a customer service
agent on the phone or on social media instead of waiting in a huge
line. Alternatively, you can try connecting with someone over your app.
Remember, whatever happens, it's important to
be polite. It's probably not the airline employee's fault that something went
wrong with your travel plans. The best thing you can do is treat these people
with care and respect, as that will make it more likely that they'll want to go
above and beyond to help you. However, make sure that you do keep a note of
their name so you can refer to it later in discussions about compensation.