Flight delays and worse, cancellations, can really throw a wrench into your travel plans. Here are my go-to tips, websites and apps to help you deal with weather delays and flight cancellations.
1. Research the weather
I don’t leave home without knowing the weather where I am and where I’m going—including at layover airports. I usually use accuweather.com and weather.com‘s apps. I also use myradar.com, an app pilots use and this hurricane app many Floridians use.
2. Check airline travel policies
If there’s a huge storm forcing mass cancellations, I check with the airline to see if they’ve adjusted their change policies due to the weather so I can rebook without a penalty and fly when there won’t be any hassles. Here’s a list of airline policies: Air Canada | Alaska | American Airlines | Delta | Frontier | JetBlue | Southwest | United | WestJet | Every Airline Website and Phone Number
3. Check with the FAA
If there’s disruptive weather in any of the destinations relevant to me, I’ll then check the FAA’s (Federal Aviation Administration) Flight Delay Information – Air Traffic Control System Command Center. It lists general airport conditions at the US’s top 40 major airports.
4. Download your airline’s app
Most airlines have invested heavily in their apps so travelers can now avoid having to call the airline; pretty much everything can be done with just a few taps. This includes switching to another flight free of charge when things go south.
5. Sign up for flight notifications
Most airlines will sign you up automatically so be sure to put your phone number and email in your reservation. Don’t put your travel agent’s (if you have one). I always sign up for flight status notifications, offered for free by each airline. They will send you text or email messages with status updates so you can know you’re staying up-to-date. I also sign up for my loved ones when I’m picking them up at the airport.
6. Load up your phone
Be sure to load your phone with your airline(s)’s toll free phone number(s) just in case there is a cancellation.
7. Act quickly
If your flight is canceled and you can’t get your flight changed via the airline’s app then get in line as soon as possible. If you have access to a club, go there since the lines to speak to an agent are usually a lot shorter. At the same time get on the phone and call the airline directly. Usually the airline representative at the call center can rebook you on a flight faster than the chance to speak in person to a customer service or the gate agent. TIP: Be very careful if you Google an airline’s phone number since scammers have learned how to game the system. If you don’t know about this scam, read this story: Traveler Exposes Scammer’s Trick For Stealing Airline Passengers’ Money
8. Use X (formerly Twitter)
I also like to follow my airline and airports on X, formerly Twitter. On my X handle (@JohnnyJet) I have all kinds of lists including Airlines, U.S. Airports and International Airports. Most airports are not that active, so don’t get your hopes up, but there are a number of airlines that are amazing and some can even help you rebook by reaching out to them via a tweet. My favorite is American Airlines (@AmericanAir). They usually respond.
9. Useful apps and websites
Like many frequent travelers, one of my favorite apps is Flighty but it’s not free. TripIt.com has a free version but their pro version is worth the $49/year if you travel a lot, as they notify you of delays, cancellations, gate changes and other flight details. In case there are mass cancellations, I don’t wait for an airline to reserve me a hotel room. I jump on it as soon as I know I’m spending the night (Hotelnumbers.com). My favorite app for last-minute hotel rooms is HotelTonight. In case I need to drive somewhere, I load my phone with phone numbers of car rental agencies (CarRentalNumbers.com) or use Uber/Lyft for short drives.
10. Get help
In case you’re in a real bind and didn’t book through a travel agent, you can call CrankyConcierge.com. For a fee, they will help you make other flight arrangements, find a hotel or transportation and assist you in resolving disputes.
11. File a claim
AirHelp is a useful website, app and service that helps airline passengers pursue compensation for delayed, canceled and overbooked flights, particularly those covered by European passenger rights regulations (EU261 and the U.K. equivalent). It can be especially helpful if you’re unsure of your rights or don’t have the time or patience to deal with an airline yourself.
AirHelp operates on a no-win, no-fee basis. If they don’t recover any compensation, you pay nothing. If they do succeed, their standard fee is 35% of your compensation, although an additional legal fee may apply if your case has to go to court.
I used AirHelp after British Airways initially told me I wasn’t entitled to compensation for a Budapest (BUD) to London Heathrow (LHR) to Toronto (YYZ) itinerary. About a year and a half later, I filed a claim through AirHelp and they successfully recovered about $900 USD for my wife and me. I wouldn’t have received a dime otherwise, so I thought their fee was well worth it.
12. Buy travel insurance
I highly recommend purchasing travel insurance as soon as you book your trip. Many travel insurance policies won’t cover losses related to a foreseeable event, so if a named storm or other major disruption has already been announced before you buy your policy, you may not be covered.
I also recommend buying insurance from a third party instead of directly from an airline, cruise line or tour operator. If your travel provider runs into financial trouble, an independent policy may offer broader protection, depending on the coverage you choose.
I suggest comparing policies on InsureMyTrip.com, which lets you shop multiple providers side by side. It’s a great way to compare coverage, prices and customer reviews before making a decision.
Personally, I usually purchase Allianz Travel Insurance because it’s one of the largest and most established travel insurance companies in the world, with a global network that can provide assistance wherever you travel. I’ve fortunately only had to file a few claims over the years, but the process has always been straightforward.
Full disclosure: I have previously worked as an ambassador for Allianz Global Assistance (AGA Service Company) and received financial compensation. InsureMyTrip was also a sponsor of JohnnyJet.com.
I also recommend using a credit card with travel protection benefits to help. To be sure that you are covered, read the fine print and/or contact the card issuer to learn more. Here’s the list of my favorite credit cards to travel with.
I hope these tips are useful this week and don’t forget – most important of all, pack your patience!
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Great tips. Looks like AirHelp is now 35% in 2021: “For all Claims, the Service Fee is 35% of the received Flight Compensation, including applicable VAT”
my niece , her husband and 2 small children (under the age of 4)had their flight cancelled coming back from Orlando.Florida . due to the airline over books all their fights all weekend . the only thing that they offered was a hotel room for the night and a food voucher for the airport, and a hopeful fight the next morning . what if any kind of recourse do the have?
From Southwest Airlines website: The Flight Status Notification feature will no longer be available after 2018. Any notifications set up prior will be unable to be modified once this feature is removed. But don’t worry—you can always check your flight status at Southwest.com/air/flight-status/.
WHAT THE HECK?!
In such cases make sure you know your air passenger rights, EC Regulation 261/2004 allows air passengers to claim compensation up to 600€ in case of flight delays of over 3 hours or flight cancellation or denied boarding due to overbooking provided that reason of delay or cancellation should not be an extraordinary circumstance.
This a very informative article. I compare the energy of the airport with the bar. It seems to bring out the worst in people’s personality. When traveling, you are going to be faced with some adversity that most people aren’t ready to deal with. Articles like these are helpful since it provides you with some tools on what to do in those situations.
That was a great article indeed and I could not wait sharing it with my friends but unfortunately this time I made my clam through claimflights.co.uk but next time surely will use airhelp app.
I can’t.
I just can’t.
American Airlines continually disappoints. Even famous traveler and chef, Anthony Bourdain, takes to Twitter to complain not only about the frequency of AA delays, but how unprofessionally AA handles informing customers of these delays. Many rankings of Airlines find AA at the bottom of the barrel, and yet, I booked my most recent flight from Big Island, Hawaii to Oakland, CA on American Airlines.
Why?
The flight, with a connection in Phoenix, had been $200 cheaper than the competing Hawiian Airlines flight, also with one connection. I respect that, “You get what you pay for,” but almost every time I have booked with AA the flight has been delayed or cancelled.
The evening of our flight, we received a phone call from AA notifying that our flight had been cancelled. No info on rebooking was provided other than a number we could call.
This is where all the trouble started…
http://nynomads.com/2017/04/why-do-i-keep-booking-on-american-airlines/
There is a lot of good apps here that could work really well when travelling. Experiencing delay is always a pain, but if you do a good research and prepare for the journey on time, it can save you a lot of time and money. Thanks for the advice as a frequent traveler myself I found the “file a claim” part the most useful.I save it for next when needed, but hopefully it’s never going to happen. :)
Thank you very helpful, post. Have experienced a lot of delays.
Some really great advice in here, thanks for sharing. This is a problem I run into quite frequently on my travels and it can be very frustrating at times.
Awesome tips! very useful – will be saving this blog as a favourite :)
Hey Johnny… just a little update on point 7 regarding flight compensation… you can actually claim for a delayed flight, missed connection, flight cancellation and boarding denial up to 6 years previous! You don’t even have to know your flight number. If you use a no-win no-fee service as we call it in the UK then they’ll do everything and take a small percentage of the winnings. Even with the UK leaving the EU the EU261 ruling will still apply for the next 2 years (and will probably continue longer). Hope that helps!