How to deal with delays or missed connections

Reader Samuel requested a WenneTravel review of what to do when your flight is delayed and you need to be somewhere or you’re going to miss your connection. We’ll go over a list of dos and don’ts, and then at the end I’ll provide a list of airline contact info.

Don’t

1. Wait in line at your gate or at a help desk

When a plane is delayed, most likely every passenger is going to want to talk to the agent at your gate. When there are major delays at an airport, the help desks will be inundated. Unless you’re sneaky fast and manage to already be in line when the delay announcement is made, chances are you will be waiting awhile. There are more efficient ways to deal with your delay during this time than waiting to talk to someone in person.

2. Assume the airline will take care of you

A really proactive airline will rebook you to make sure you make your connection, but more often than not you’re going to either not be rebooked or be rebooked on an itinerary you don’t want (i.e. a really short/long or out-of-the-way connection).

3. Yell at anyone

While delays are incredibly frustrating, it is not helpful, and can actually be very hurtful, to take it out on an airline representative. There is almost no chance whatsoever that the person you’re talking to from the airline had anything to do with your delay, but many people will get angry with them as if the whole thing was their fault. They are the gatekeepers to any resolution to your issue, so treating them badly may make them less incentivized to help you. Treating them nicely and thanking them for their help may just unlock a seat for you on an otherwise-sold-out flight.

4. Accept your fate

If an airline rep gives you only bad options or tells you there’s nothing they can do, don’t believe them! Hang up and call back. Or go to another gate/help desk agent. The likelihood that you happened to get the most capable or helpful agent available to you is exactly one divided by the number of agents you can possibly talk to (suffice to say it’s a small number).

Do

1. Use the terminal phone banks

Many airlines have phone banks somewhere near their gates that connect directly to agents who can assist you. These phone banks often bypass the queue of people on hold waiting for a rep, so using them instead of your own phone can possibly save some time on hold. At the very least, you will be connected with someone who has the same capability as a gate agent to reroute you or change you to a different flight (unless the flight is departing shortly), and may be able to see more options for switching your flight than a gate agent can.

2. Use Twitter

Most of the airlines are incredibly responsive on Twitter. American and Delta are two of the best at responding almost immediately and interacting with you via direct message to sort things out. If you can wait a few minutes for a response, this is a very easy and quick way to get through to someone. If there are massive delays throughout the country though, the Twitter route may not be the best way to go, as they’ll be responding to many people at once.

3. Use your phone

If there is a problem with your specific flight you will almost always get a faster response by calling the airline’s 800 number instead of waiting in line at your gate. This may still be true even if there are massive delays throughout the system. At the very least, while waiting in line to talk to someone, you should be waiting on hold on the phone to see who you can talk to quicker.

4. Go to the gate of the flight you want

An agent at the gate of the flight you want to switch to can help you get on that flight. Your delayed or cancelled flight may have a huge line at its gate, but the gate of the flight you’re trying to switch to should be emptier. The agent can also possibly help you with options beyond that specific flight.

5. Ask for a meal voucher and/or an upgrade

If a delay is the airline’s fault (i.e. mechanical issue), they are often willing to help out with paying for meals during your delay. They might also be willing to upgrade you to first class to compensate for the inconvenience. Never hurts to ask.

6. Ask for rebooking on another airline

If there is another airline’s flight that will get you in at the same time as your current flight but your current flight is delayed, the airline you’re on may be willing to get you a ticket on the other airline depending on the reason for the delay. Look at the departure screens to see what flights are possible, and go to your agent at a desk or on the phone with some options. Make sure to ask a representative from your current airline, not the one you want to switch to.

Airline Contact Info

AirTran Airways

No active Twitter

800-246-8726

American Airlines

@AmericanAir

800-433-7300

British Airways

@BritishAirways

800-247-9297

Delta Airlines

@Delta

@DeltaAssist

800-221-1212

Frontier Airlines

@FlyFrontier

800-432-1359

JetBlue Airways

@JetBlue

800-538-2583

Southwest Airlines

@SouthwestAir

800-435-9792

U.S. Airways

@USAirways

800-428-4322

United Airlines

@United

800-864-8331

Virgin America

@VirginAmerica

877-359-8474