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How to save a canned flight

If this column were an airline, what would you be hearing right now?

Ladies and gentlemen, this week’s column is running behind schedule due to a late inbound column. I apologize for the delay but it shouldn’t be more than 15 minutes.

Or maybe …

Attention in reading area: the column has arrived but is experiencing mechanical difficulties; we have an editor onboard working on the problem.The problem should not take longer than about 30 minutes.

Or, perhaps …

I am sorry to announce that the author has run out of legalities for today, so we will have to cancel this week’s edition. If you would like to contact customer service, they would be more than happy to assist you with your reading plans. Thanks for reading with us and have a great day.

How many times has this happened to you in the airline world? When you finally find the customer service desk, it has a mile-long line of weary travelers waiting to tell their woes to the stressed out agent. What then? Do you wait in agony while watching your potential new flights depart in front of you?

I have some better options for you.

1. Reach out and touch someone.
Pick up the nearest phone and call the airline’s customer service and reservation center. They can assist you with your itinerary and rebook you on the next available flight. If it requires a new ticket, tell them you will pick it up at the electronic check-in kiosk. The phone may be busy at first, but keep trying. Anything is better than waiting behind the people camping out in the other line. Ask if your airline has an electronic customer service kiosk. If they do, then you can revamp your itinerary and get a ticket there also. OK, you may be talking to an outsourced worker in Bangladesh, but when it comes to getting to your destination, morality takes an economy seat.

2. It pays to carry a timetable of your airline’s schedule.
Look up your connection possibilities from a different major city. It would be best if it was from one of your airline’s major hub cities. Many times the agents can rebook you even if you are scheduled for a different flight.

3. Be a frequent flier program member.
Many airlines give their elite members a special rebooking phone number in cases of cancellations. Ask for it and be adamant. I did a Google search and found the number for my airline. Also, go to your airline’s member lounge and get assistance from the agent in there.

4. Be alert.
If you are in the boarding area and you see the crew deplaning,it’s time to take action, because that isn’t a good sign. Also, if you hear the announcement or statement that the flight is on a “decision,” start deciding on alternate travel plans. The word “decision” usually means trouble.

5. Patience is a virtue.
Grab a magazine and a cup of coffee, and try to understand. There is a reason that the plane can’t go to your destination just yet, and that reason is because it is not completely safe for travel. It’s when they go despite mechanical problems that you have to start wondering about the airline you’re flying with.

(Wit note: I often travel with my portable DVD player, headphones and a couple DVDs. Most airports have electrical plugs all over so you don't even have to use your batteries. Of course a laptop can also be used this way).

When you do experience this sort of delay or cancellation, remember this: the airline is responsible for payment and expenses due to your inconvenience. They have a contract with you to get you from point A to point B on the specified date and time. If anything (except weather) goes wrong once you get to point A, then they have not fulfilled their side of the deal and must rectify it.

Some airlines handle it well, while others are laughable. My last cancelled flight was handled professionally. While the wait was occurring, passengers were given a $10 voucher for any of the facilities in the airport. When the cancellation notice was posted, my airline put the passengers up at a very nice hotel with dinner, a new flight time arranged for the next morning, and provided a free 15-minute long distance phone call.

It may not seem like much, but with three hundred people, it adds up. I have heard of stories of what other airlines had to offer, and it wasn’t comparable. One airline recently got into trouble because they had passengers waiting for 34 hours at the gate without being given so much as a meal voucher.

The weather factor is another matter. Airlines have deemed it necessary not to pay for extras when it comes to weather. They say it would be the end of them if they did. So anything related to weather is not covered. It may be sunny and 75 degrees at your location, but if your airplane or crew does not show because of a snowstorm in North Dakota, then it becomes a weather situation. Airlines are quite the politicians when it comes to weatherable offenses.

All airlines encounter mechanical problems. At the end of the day, if you miss a connecting flight or a business meeting, fail to meet up with a loved one, or start the holiday off a little bit late, remember the most important thing. Your safety has not been compromised, and you will live another day. Others have not been as lucky.