Flight delay and cancellation guide

Flight disruptions are commonplace and impact countless travellers every year. Flight delays and cancellations range from mildly annoying to major snags that can completely derail your trip. Nearly 20% of flights experience a delay or cancellation annually. Here are some steps you should take if your flight is delayed or cancelled including how to get another flight faster and prevent losing money.

To stay ahead of delays, it’s most helpful to opt into text updates on your flight’s status or monitor for any issues in real-time through a mobile app. 

Start monitoring the weather days before you fly. If you notice there’s a storm that could affect your flight’s path, check to see if there’s an advisory on your airline’s website. If there is, give the airline a call to see if they can reschedule either your arriving or return flight by as much as a few days, with no additional fees. A non-stop flight may also be a possibility.  But if the airline hasn’t issued an advisory for the weather system, you will most likely have to pay the difference to book another flight.

The day before your flight, check your flight status on the airline’s website again and if you’re not signed up for text alerts, you should be!

If your flight is delayed and you don’t want to wait around, reach out to the airline for assistance to see if booking another flight is an option. You can speak with a ticket agent or reach out to the airline’s call center. If the Canadian call center is slow, try calling the international line for faster assistance. To avoid long service waits, you may also be able to book another flight through an airline self-service kiosk or the airline’s website. If there are no other options, you may have to rebook your flight with another airline.

Whether you decide to wait on your delayed flight or book another, you should keep track of your flight’s status via the airline’s app, text alerts or the airline’s website. If you still haven’t left for the airport and you were notified that your flight is delayed, you should still show up at the originally intended time. Sometimes, even delayed flight statuses are subject to change and you don’t want to miss your plane if it happens to arrive not as behind schedule as expected.

Familiarize yourself with airline policies and passenger rights so you know when you are entitled to compensation or refunds for flight cancellations or delays. For flights to, from and within Canada, airlines must provide compensation for the inconvenience of flight cancellations and for delays of three hours or more, “if the disruption is within their control and not related to safety, and if the airline notified you of the disruption 14 days or less in advance,” according to the Canadian Transportation Agency.  The amount passengers can receive is based on the length of the delay and the size of the airline. Full details on compensation are available on the CTA website. If you are flying within the U.S., there are similar rules.

There are limits on how much airlines are required to compensate passengers for flight disruptions. Travel insurance may help you recoup more costs. Trip Cancellation benefits by Allianz Global Assistance may reimburse reasonable, non-refundable expenses if your trip is cancelled or delayed for a protected reason, or if your trip has been interrupted after it has started. Let’s say your flight is delayed a day due to a blizzard forecasted after you purchased travel insurance. Trip Cancellation benefits by Allianz Global Assistance may reimburse certain non-refundable expenses such as the cost of your hotel room, food and transit to the airport to catch your rescheduled flight.

If you are stranded at the airport overnight due to a flight delay, act quickly to book a hotel near the airport, since other passengers will be doing the same. Ask your airline about hotel and food vouchers for overnight stays if you are experiencing a delay.  HotelTonight is a great app for snagging last-minute booking deals near airports. Staying close to the airport often has the advantage of hotel-operated shuttle services to and from the airport. However, if you opt to stay farther from the airport, you may save money on accommodation costs, though the savings could be off-set by the cost of booking a ride share or other transportation.

If you are an airline club member, you can head to a lounge for a more comfortable wait for your flight. Familiarize yourself with airport amenities. Many airports offer access to showers, sleeping pods, cots, gyms and more. Some airports also have public lounges if you don’t have access to your airline’s lounge.

If you are meeting family, friends or work colleagues, inform them of your flight delay and update them on your new arrival time. Additionally, keep in mind the potential of rescheduling connecting flights when updating contacts about your travel disruption.

Several apps can help you find resources and stay on up-to-date on flight alerts. Keep your eye on your flight status with live tracking from Flight Aware. Skycop may help you seek compensation for flight delays and cancellations.

Arm yourself against future flight disruptions by purchasing annual travel insurance. For a single payment, annual Allianz Travel Insurance Plans offer a year of protection against financial losses due to trip cancellations and delays.

Don’t let flight disruptions get you down. Stay informed of your flight status and take steps to get to your destination faster, and know your rights for compensation and reimbursement.

Get a travel insurance quote today to find out how we can make your next trip stress free.

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