Although travelers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how to find cheap travel options, be they cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, and cheap vacation packages, many passengers are at a loss as to what to do when weather forces cancelation of their flights. Recent major snow storms on the East Coast have left travelers stranded for days, finding it almost impossible to even make contact with the airlines by phone to confirm new flights.
Airlines are not required to compensate passengers beyond replacement transportation when flights are delayed or canceled. How airlines handle such situations varies, depending on the individual airlines policies, but often airlines will provide hotel and meal vouchers for flight cancelations due to equipment failure, but not due to factors outside of their control, such as weather.
The following are suggestions as to what travelers should do prior to leaving for the airport and later, if faced with dealing with a canceled flight:
Sign up directly with the airline for flight alerts that are usually communicated by email, text message or phone call. Flight alerts when combined with Twitter help travelers expedite changes. Increasingly, major airlines are using Twitter to notify passengers of major flight cancellations and help in rebooking. Several airlines have created dedicated Twitter accounts for customer service issues.
If you do not want to be bumped then make certain to check in online. Most airlines allow online check in 24 hours in advance of departure. The last passengers to check in for a flight are frequently the first bumped when a flight is oversold.
If bumped, request cash instead of a voucher. Passengers who are bumped against their will and rebooked on another flight within two hours of their original domestic departure time (or within four hours for international flights) are entitled to $400 cash, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. If it takes longer than two hours to place travelers on an alternative flight, then eligible compensation goes up to $800.
If your bags are lost, do not leave the airport prior to reporting this to airline personnel. The DOT advices Insist that they (as in the airline) create a report and give you a copy, even if they say the bag will be in on the next flight. Get an appropriate phone number for following up (not the Reservations number).
It is up to passengers to submit a claim for lost luggage and waiting too long to do so (varies by airline, but usually airlines require written claims received within 21 or 30 days) can invalidate that claim.
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