Would you believe me if I told you I’d never had a flight cancelled on me? It’s true. Up until this weekend, the worst flight situation I’d been subjected to was a delayed departure (ok, and a three layover commute to Orange County, of which, two takeoffs resulted in the person sitting directly in front of me projectile vomiting— true story). Perhaps my streak of good luck forebode an eventual nightmarish flight situation…. I just can’t say I saw it coming this past weekend. So against my will, I spent 36 hours in Charlotte on the Fourth of July weekend. And you know what? After getting over the fact that I couldn’t fly out any sooner (and trying every single one of my options below), I found myself really enjoying Charlotte .

Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves; I was angry my flight had been cancelled in the first place. What was supposed to be a 10:04 am Sunday morning flight out of the Charlotte Airport became a 8:36 pm flight Monday evening, and with very little room for negotiation at that. I had a very important doctor’s appointment to be at on Monday afternoon, not to mention countless things on my plate for work. I spent the better half of Sunday buckled down in my terminal, working every angle to get myself home earlier than my rebooked flight permitted.

Welcome to my new (and now familiar) world of cancelled flights. After spending countless hours on the phone and at the desk with American Airlines employees, I have a newfound toolkit on how to handle a cancelled flight. While I didn’t end up getting on an earlier flight, I picked up so much knowledge and work-arounds for anyone else stuck in similar situation. Read on for my cancelled flights checklist, and— bonus— a little Fourth of July photo tease for those of you who make it to the end. Shall we?

YOUR BOOKING DETAILS MATTER-
Are you flying solo? Are you flying during a busy travel weekend? Are you one of the first flights out in the morning? Are you part of the airline’s loyalty program? Did you pay for a more expensive seating option on the flight? All of these things play into how soon you’ll be able to get a rebooked on a day of flight cancellations.
1. Did you fly alone? Solo travelers are likely to snag seats on earlier flights because airlines don’t tend to split up couples or families booked on the same ticket
2. Are you flying on a busy travel weekend? If you’re flying on a busy travel weekend, assume you have a greater chance to have your flight cancelled. This brings me to my next point…
3. Were you booked on an early morning flight? If you can book early flights both ways, do it. Why? If multiple flights are cancelled in one day, the earliest departing flight will be the first set of passengers that are rebooked. Airlines rebook passengers in the order that flights are cancelled; my 10:04 am flight was the difference in me getting home on Monday versus later in the week. Seriously- people in the customer service line behind me were rebooked on Tuesday and Wednesday flights (partially) because their flight departed after mine.
4. Are you a “valued” airline customer? Airlines give special treatment (and rightfully so) to airline cardholders and their Gold, Silver, or Platinum frequent flyers. If you fall into this category, flash your credit card or your frequent flyer elite status for above and beyond customer service. Odds are, you just might get home sooner (or at least put up in a nicer hotel. More on that later).
5. Did you pay for a higher seating class? Did you book a first class or business class ticket? If you did, you’re probably higher priority in terms of rebooking order. If you fly basic economy like me, you’re probably at the bottom of the pile. Not sure where the seat you bought falls on the spectrum of importance? Your boarding group will tell you that! First to board= very important. Last to board= lowest priority.
THINK THROUGH YOUR OPTIONS + PITCH EACH ONE TO YOUR CUSTOMER SERICE REP
When I was initially reassigned my Monday night flight back to LaGuardia, I was virtually certain I would have no problem standing in the customer service line and getting rebooked on an earlier flight. After realizing how many flights had been cancelled, I started coming up with alternate plans and pitches. The people at customer service want to help you; pitch them any and all of your ideas to get yourself home faster.
1. Can you be put on standby for future departing flights? A no brainer but do make sure you ask!
2. Can you be rebooked on another airline carrier? American Airlines kindly looked into rebooking me on another carrier when I asked them. Unfortunately, there were *literally* no other departing flights from Charlotte that day with open seats. However, if there had been, American would have rebooked me on a Delta, United, Spirit, etc. flight back home.
3. Can you fly out of a different airport? Charlotte airport had no available departing flights on Sunday, but Greenville, South Caroline and Asheville, North Carolina airports were all within 3 hours. I had my customer service rep check those airports and —bingo!— she was able to rebook me on a 7 am flight out of Greenville. From there, I would have Ubered, rented a car, taken a shuttle, etc. from Charlotte to Greenville. Any costs incurred here would be submitted for a reimbursement with the airline (more on this in a second).
4. Ask the customer service rep to hold your seat on multiple flights if you’re torn between options. While I was sorting out the details of my 7 am Monday flight, my customer service rep kindly offered to hold the last seat on that 7 am Greenville flight while i made up my mind. This gives you options while you figure out your best move. Essentially, when I went to the check-in desk, I would have had multiple flight reservations under my name: the flights I was on standby for, the 8:36 pm Monday flight I had been rebooked on, and then the 7:00 am Greenville flight. This allows you to make a rational decision after spending some time weighing out options.
5. Can you fly to another airport and take another flight, train, etc. the rest of the way? While I didn’t actively look into this option, you could look into flying into a nearby big city and then either A. having the airline connect you to another flight with them or another carrier, or B. take a train, rental car or bus the rest of the way home. For example, if I couldn’t fly into Birmingham from NY, I could fly from NY to Atlanta and then rent a car to drive home to Birmingham. Here too, you’d submit any external ticket/rental costs to be reimbursed by the airlines.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CANCELLATION PERKS THAT YOU’RE ENTITLED TO-
If all else fails and you aren’t able to get out of the airport in the same day, know what you’re entitled to as a passenger: accommodation, vouchers, and reimbursements. Head over to the customer service desk or call the unlisted “rebooking” hotline that airlines don’t advertise on their websites. The latter option is amazing when you’re dealing with outrageously long customer service lines. You can find this information on Google, or in my case, through an employee walking around handing out information cards.
1. Accommodation: If your flight has been rebooked for a different day, ask the customer service desk rep for a hotel accommodation. The earlier you make it to the desk, the more hotel options you’ll have to choose from. I was emailed a link for an accommodation voucher by the rep at the customer promptly upon asking. From there, I was able to select a hotel among a range of options and activate the hotel voucher. (Make sure you open the voucher email and ensure it is functioning before walking away from the desk— especially if you’ve stood in what feels like an eternal line!)
2. Meal Voucher: While you’re asking for a hotel voucher, make sure you also ask for a meal voucher. These can be used in the airport and in select spots outside the airport (like the minimart in your hotel). These vouchers range in value, but any voucher helps when you’re paying for meals you didn’t expect to have to!
3. Apply for Reimbursement: Repeat after me— SAVE. ALL. OF. YOUR. RECEIPTS. Why? You can apply for a reimbursement on all basic needs through the airline’s reimbursement policy. While Customer Service is unable to say what will and won’t be reimbursed, they can usually help gauge if the airline will grant reimbursement. When I was considering renting a car to get from Charlotte to Greenville in order to make my important doctor’s appointment on Monday afternoon, the rep speculated I’d almost certainly get the reimbursement if I explained the medical situation. Ask for details on reimbursement while you’re at the customer service desk for full details on your carrier’s policy.
PRO TIP: BE KIND TO THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS-
Kindness goes a long way :) People want to help people who treat them with respect and kindness. You know what’s not going to do you any favors at all? Yelling at the people who have absolutely no control over the situation. Stay calm, say your thank you’s, and show some grace to those who only want to help! I can assure you the rude people don’t get anywhere faster than the rest of us.