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There are few things in life that are more frustrating than having no control over a situation. Travel is supposed to be fun and joyful. However, air travel disruptions can quickly turn that happy moment into one filled with anger and stress.
We’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to travel quite a bit. Of course, that means that we’ve had our fair share of air travel disruptions. In this article, I will share seven of the best strategies to deal with air travel disruptions. Let’s jump in.
Air travel disruptions strategies
1) Be nice
You read this right. Of course, you are frustrated when your flight is canceled or delayed. That is understandable.
However, it is not the fault of the poor agent many angry customers are yelling at. Being rude or disrespectful will never improve the situation.
I can be a hothead. I will admit. My husband is always calm and composed in stressful situations. He is solution-oriented and always polite with the people he interacts with. And I’ve seen instances where a solution is magically found for us even when it couldn’t be solved for the person ahead of us in line.
Being nice might not always solve the situation, but it will never make it worst. Be kind.
2) Pack smart
Flight delays, cancelations, and missed connections are just a few air travel disruptions you might encounter.
We all know this is a possibility. One way to make a bad situation better is to plan what we can.
Make sure to have some essential items in your carry-on luggage.
For me, those essentials are things such as:
- toothpaste and toothbrush
- prescription glasses and spared contact lenses
- extra pair of underwear
- medication
- phone charger
- deodorant
- extra outfit if I have room
Many people don’t realize that if you miss your connection home, it is very difficult to get your checked luggage. Sometimes the answer is a straight no. Other times, you will need to wait for hours for a chance to get your bag.
Check out this article for ultimate packing tips.
Therefore, having some of these items in your carry-on if you get stuck somewhere overnight or if your suitcase doesn’t arrive in time will make a big difference in your comfort.
For cancelled or missed connections
3) React quickly
Book a hotel room as soon as you find out that your flight is canceled or your connection is missed. This is especially true on days of heavy air travel disruptions because many people will be in the same boat.
Get ahead of them by booking something rapidly while everyone is just trying to talk to an agent to rebook their flight.
In the odd case where you find another flight on the same night, most hotels will let you cancel your booking. This will ensure you don’t end up without a place to stay.
4) Don’t wait in line
When flights are canceled, you and all of the people on your flight are in the same boat. If many flights are canceled, the situation quickly gets out of control.
After reserving a hotel room, call the airline. DO NOT go wait in line to speak to an agent live. You will be waiting for hours and the result will be the same as if you call.
Save yourself time and frustration and simply call. During heavy disruption times, the airline often offers you to leave your number for a callback. In this case, you don’t even need to wait on the phone for hours, you can get to your hotel and wait for the callback.
If it’s earlier in the day and you might be able to get a flight rebooked, I would recommend waiting at the airport until you talk to an agent. You don’t want to cross security until you are certain you won’t be going anywhere that day.
For really tight connections
5) Talk to airline staff for close connections
This strategy doesn’t always work but I have had success before.
If you have a tight connection (especially if the flight is running late), talk to the flight attendant while you are still in flight. Sometimes, they will let you deplane first and ask other passengers to wait before getting up. Other times, they might have helpful information for you, such as your arrival gate.
If the gate agent is free once you are off the plane, tell them where you are going. I have had some gate agents willingly call my departure gate to tell them I was here and rushing their way to try to make the flight. This doesn’t always work, but they have waited on me before.
Once again, kill them with kindness. It’s not their fault or their problem. Be nice, and they might just help you.
6) Study the airport
Log into the airline app while taxiing to the gate upon landing. Find your arrival gate and locate your next departure gate.
Check out the best travel apps you need when traveling.
Then, pull up the airport map to see how far you have to go and strategize on your plan. Find the most efficient way to get there.
If you have to transit to another terminal, I’d for sure talk to the gate agent to put the chances on your side.
7) Think outside the box
My last strategy is to consider all options. We’ve had two instances where we were stuck in a connecting city. In both cases, we could not get on another flight for at least 24 hours (one case was over 48 hours).
In the first situation, we were about eight hours’ driving distance away from home. We decided to rent a car and drive home. We arrived home about the same time we would have on the rescheduled flight but did not have to wait in an airport for hours.
In the second instance, this wasn’t an option. It would have taken several days to drive home. However, instead of getting frustrated and moping around, we booked a day excursion to visit the city. We made the best of the situation and ended up having a good time.
In conclusion
Air travel disruptions are not fun. But they exist, and how you deal with them will change how you get through the situation. Give these strategies a try and see how you can make lemonades out of lemons.