Worried about Flight Delays? These Practical Tips Will Help
There’s nothing worse than spending ages planning for a big trip, just to have everything go sideways on the big day. Unfortunately, as annoying as flight delays and cancellations can be, there’s not a lot you can do to stop them from happening. In fact, the truth is that most people will end up facing at least one cancellation during their lives.
On the plus side, just because you can’t necessarily stop a flight delay or cancellation, doesn’t mean that there’s nothing you can do when you want to deal with them as quickly and carefully as possible. Here are some practical tips to help you handle the situation.
1. Know Your Rights
The most important thing you can do when you’re dealing with a flight delay or cancellation is make sure that you know your rights. If you’re flying to or from an airline in the EU, or you’re flying with an EU company, then you should be able to get some compensation if you meet the right criteria. To get compensation, your flight needs to be delayed for at least three hours, and the delay has to be caused by something in the airline’s control.
If your flight is grounded because of a gigantic storm, your airline won’t be expected to pay you any compensation, because there was nothing they could have done about the situation. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t do everything they can to get you on a plane when the storm clears.
2. Be Ready to Move
If your flight isn’t delayed by a storm, then you could get yourself onto a flight quicker than you would expect. That means that you need to be ready to move and run to another gate at a moment’s notice if necessary. Make sure that you do not leave the airport unless the airline specifically tells you that it’s okay to do so and try to pack light if you’re worried about delays or cancellation.
Packing light means that you won’t have to wait for the airline to retrieve your baggage if they find another flight that they can put you on. Make sure that you let the airline know if you’re willing to travel to another airport too, as this can get you on a flight a little faster.
3. Do Some Research
When you find out your flight is delayed or cancelled, grab your phone and head to the internet. The first thing you want to find out is what kind of compensation you can get from your chosen airline, and what numbers you can call to get some answers. You could even think about leaving a message on the company’s social media account to see whether this gets you some attention faster.
While you’re researching, think about looking for flights and seats on alternative airline that you might be able to switch over to. If you let the airline know that there’s another plane flying to your destination with a seat available, they may pay for you to switch over.
4. Focus on Having Some Fun
If your flight is delayed for three hours, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to sit and sulk about it for the entire time. Instead of stressing out over the situation, take the time to explore your surroundings and have some fun. See what kind of stores the airport has to offer or consider talking to people from the same flight as you and making some new friends.
If the airline has a lounge that you can crash go and find out how much it costs for entry. You might be surprised how cheap it is to get into a place where you can enjoy a comfortable seat, a television, and even some charging ports for your devices while you wait.
5. Keep your Head
Finally, make sure that you focus on looking after yourself when you’re hit with a flight delay. Don’t let the problem go to your head and start filling you with stress. Eat, drink, rest when necessary and above all else, make sure that you’re polite to the airline staff. Remember that the people you speak to are there to help you, and they probably had nothing to do with your flight being delayed. A little bit of courtesy when dealing with the staff could help you to get moving onto your next trip a lot quicker than you expected. Everyone appreciates a little respect.
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