Love to Fly, Hate Airports
The worst part of airports is the announcements. Your flight has been delayed. This flight has been cancelled. The flight is now leaving from another gate. I love the convenience of flying, but only when everything works perfectly. Can you tell I just got off the phone with a friend who is stuck in an airport? More often than not, flight itineraries seldom work perfectly any more. So, here’s a couple of tips to help resolve your problems.
If you booked with a travel agent, call them first. They’ll work alongside you to find a solution to your problem. Another thing I always do is carry the direct-dial and toll-free numbers for the airline. When an announcement sends everyone on the plane scurrying to the nearest customer service center, you’ll want to get in that line, too. But, as you do, start dialing the airline on your cell phone. And, you’re dialing both numbers, because lots of folks carry the toll-free number, but few carry the direct dial number.
The early bird really does get the worm most of the time. The more people who get rerouted before you, the less options that will be available for you. I almost always can get a rep on the line working on my problem before I reach the front of the line, and the rep at the counter can usually just print my new flight itinerary just resolved by the rep on the phone.
I always recommend travel protection, because you never know when something may happen to ground air traffic to a stop, stranding you far from home for extra days. Travel protection will assist with your extra expenses resulting from this travel delay, plus they’ll also serve as yet another advocate to get you home soon.
On a more practical note, how do you pass time when delayed in the airport? Reading a magazine or book, catching up on work on your computer, playing games, sleeping, relaxing at one of the airports bars or lounges. I like to play sudoku and solve puzzles.