Flying with Baby » delays and cancellations http://www.flyingwithbaby.com getting there without going insane Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:29:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 en Delayed flights http://www.flyingwithbaby.com/2008/04/04/delayed-flights/ http://www.flyingwithbaby.com/2008/04/04/delayed-flights/#comments Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:31:01 +0000 Flying with Baby http://www.flyingwithbaby.com/2008/04/04/delayed-flights/ Even the best travel plans can come undone when it comes to connecting flights. Airlines often consider as little as 45 minutes to be a valid connection and while this may be no problem if your plane arrives on time, the airport is small and you are familiar with its layout - if your flight is delayed and your next flight leaves from the other side of the airport or another terminal then chances are that you could miss your flight (or you may make the flight but your bags may not).It’s not a complete disaster to miss a flight but it is a major pain. If you miss a transcontinental flight you may find yourself stranded overnight as the airline may only fly your route once a day (or in some cases only a few times a week). At best you will be rerouted and late - at worst you could find yourself stranded at the airport looking for accomodation. In either case it’s likely that you won’t see your bags until your destination (and not even then!) which is why it’s a good idea to follow my tips for packing your cabin bag.

Airlines don’t necessarily have to pay for your accomodation if you are stranded. This is usually outlined in their “terms of carriage” (eg see JAL). Your travel insurance may reimburse you if the airline won’t but you will still need to pay upfront.

Useful links:
Airline Passenger Rights - strategies

Travelers Rights - mainly US

Bella Online article about delayed flights and strategies

Article on Passenger Rights Law (academic & legal cases in the US)

BBC article on passenger rights in the EU

]]> http://www.flyingwithbaby.com/2008/04/04/delayed-flights/feed/ Cancelled flights and passenger rights http://www.flyingwithbaby.com/2008/04/04/cancelled-flights-and-passenger-rights/ http://www.flyingwithbaby.com/2008/04/04/cancelled-flights-and-passenger-rights/#comments Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:29:04 +0000 Flying with Baby http://www.flyingwithbaby.com/2008/04/04/cancelled-flights-and-passenger-rights/ So what happens if your flight is canceled? It very much depends on the reason and the airline. Generally, if it is the fault of the airline they will reroute you or pay for your accomodation overnight or provide you with a meal voucher. If it’s not their fault, then they may not do anything. This can happen if the airport is snowbound for example. In my experience, the airlines do try to put you on the next available flight. Occasionally I have been offered a meal voucher or allowed to make an interstate phone call.

For more info, see these sites:

Consumer Reports
Free Travel Tips
Air Consumer Rights

Of course this has happened to me - and it involved losing my bags yet again!.
I left Sydney on a hot, steamy December afternoon but when I arrived at Heathrow the following morning it was cold and icy and I soon found out that all flights had been grounded for the past 24 hours due to snow and ice - plus my flight had been cancelled. I joined the long queue at the transfer desk and listened as people ahead of me argued with the counter staff who had long since lost their sense of humour - understandable given the circumstances. When it was turn I did my best to be polite and understanding. My flight had been cancelled and greeting the clerk with a smile and this seemed to win her over and I was placed on standby with SAS. Luckily I got on a flight within two hours. Mind you, my bags didn’t. So on arrival at Stockholm there I was filling in yet another lost luggage claim form. I also had to make my way into Stockholm (Arlanda airport is 40 mins away from the city) as I had warned my parents of the delay and with no ETA and no luggage it made sense to just hop on the airport bus given that I knew my way around.

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