What to do if your flight is cancelled in the US

It’s common in the US, when millions of people are travelling across the country and the world every day, for aircraft and weather issues to cause delays, meaning that people miss their connecting flights.

So what happens? Do airlines have to look after you when flights are cancelled or delayed?

Last week, on a trip home from Seattle to Melbourne, my plane had an engine fault that had us changing planes and delayed for hours. I missed my connection in San Francisco, along with dozens of other travellers.

What could have been a stressful experience was made easy

What could have been a super-stressful experience was skilfully managed. Announcements were made over loudspeakers, advising travellers to use the United Airways app (which most had downloaded for in-flight entertainment and boarding passes), to call the helpline and speak to a customer service agent.

Within minutes I’d tapped on the popup box and was on a call with Angelina as she searched for the next available flight to Australia. She booked me on a trip via LAX, a notoriously difficult airport to navigate, which had me arriving home the next day, as per the airline’s policy. This was a longer and more arduous journey than my original booking. On the app, however, I found a more preferable flight, requested the change, and the boarding pass was uploaded to my phone within a minute.

Cancelled flight? There's an app for that

Once that was sorted, Angelina offered me two airport hotel accommodation options, complete with information about the free shuttle bus. “Choose quickly,” she urged. As other travellers booked rooms, the options flickered and disappeared from my screen. 

Food vouchers were also credited to my app; $15 for every meal that I would need. Because my delay was 24 hours, United supported four meals and two nights of accommodation so I didn’t have to check out early.

It wasn't quite the Ritz, but I got put up in an airport hotel

Every airline has slightly different policies so make sure you know before you travel. Some airlines offer different types of compensation at your request but, the U.S. Department of Transportation says that airlines in the U.S. are not required to compensate passengers if a flight is delayed or cancelled.

Here's what to do if your flight is cancelled in the United States:

Act quickly

Don't dawdle

Get to the front of the line and don’t hesitate when it comes to choosing hotels. Nominate one person from your travelling group to make decisions for you all and do it on the spot. You don’t want to get out of line or lose the better hotel options because you need to confer with your friends or spouse.

Use the online resources

Be tech savvy

Don’t be afraid to use the app helpline. You can skip the long lines and be tucked up in a hotel room in bed while other, less techie people, are still waiting for their turn in the queue.

Do your own research

Don't want to fly 10 hours out of your way to get home? Don't settle

Customer service agents will follow their automated systems. Make sure you get a flight that suits your needs.

Document everything

Keep Calm and Keep Notes of Everything

Keep records so that if your credit card gets charged or something goes awry, you can easily claim it back, either from the airline or from your travel insurance agency, when you finally do get home.

Stay calm

Repeat after me: "The horrors persist, but so do I..."

The service agents aim to help you so be mindful that everyone on your flight is likely tired and frustrated. 

Cancelled flights are definitely ones of the challenges of air travel, but there’s nothing you can do to change the situation, so breathe, be courteous to staff, and you’ll be on your way as soon as possible. 

Bonus tip

Check your credit card and travel insurance policies. If you’ve paid via credit card, you may be entitled to claim loss of income, or compensation for the disruption to your plans. 

Originally published as What to do if your flight is cancelled in the US