What to do if your flight is cancelled?

Look out for refund options from your travel insurance or credit card covers.

This fortnight hasn't been good for air travellers as thousands of flights have been cancelled since last week for various reasons.
More than 8,000 flights stood cancelled after late winter storm Stella hit New York City. The cancellation impacted 500,000 travellers (provide Emirates link here). Last week, thousands were stranded in Berlin as the ground staff went on strike, cancelling nearly 700 flights.
As your plans go for a toss, you need to explore Plan B if you can are stranded in a city. We bring to you some tips on how to deal with flight cancellations:
1. Connect with the airlines
This might be the obvious thing to do but considering there are mass cancellations, the situation might get chaotic. If you aren't able to get through the airline's hotline, get on social media for clarifications. Most airlines update their latest situation regarding cancellation, rescheduling or refund online on social media first, so keep a tab. The airlines might be happy to assist you if you tweet them regarding your reservation.
2. Exploring the alternatives
Instead of acting difficult, understand the situation and talk to your airline about the alternatives available. Some airlines will offer you the next available seat on their planes or book you on a partner airline. During storm Stella, American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines issued travel alerts and waived off re-booking fees for flights affected by the storm.
During the Berlin staff strike, the budget airlines including Ryanair and Transavia offered only a refund or the chance to re-book at a different time.
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3. Compensation by the airlines
If you are stranded at the airport, your airline could offer you food and accommodation if your alternative flight is delayed. Skyscanner mentions that airlines provide for these if you are flying with an EU-based airline or departing form an EU airport. If not the airline, you can claim these from your travel insurance.
Accommodation may be considered on a case to case basis depending on factors such as where you are stranded, the reason for being stranded, how long is your next flight, etc.
4. Compensation from travel insurance and credit card
It is a common practice to obtain travel insurance while booking a big holiday. Now, travel insurance is compulsory for obtaining a Schengen visa for travelling to 26 countries. Apart from medical expenses, emergencies, baggage loss, travel insurance also covers trip cancellation. Depending on your insurance company, you can claim money for cancellations due to terror attacks, bad weather, among others.
If you use your credit card to book tickets, your credit card could reimburse your prepaid expenses. Do read the fine print and make sure that circumstances are covered by the credit card insurance cover and you are good to go.
As with everything, keep a check on the timeline within which you can make these claims.
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5. Plan ahead and reschedule
Don't try to test your luck if bad weather has been forecast during your period of travel. If your schedule is flexible, proceed to reschedule your flight. Also, if you are travelling during such uncertain times, it would be preferable that you carry your baggage with you instead of checking in because if your flight is diverted or cancelled, you don't have to worry about your luggage.
anita@khaleejtimes.com