Dealing with Airline Changes

The airlines keep doing it to us. Changing our flights. Sometimes they tell us, sometimes it comes as a surprise when we go to check in. There are ways to deal with these flight changes. I constantly get questions from clients about this, and thought it was a good time to do a quick article of how to cope with flight changes.

First and foremost, after you book your flights, whether it's a week before you leave, or 11 months, it's a good idea to periodically go in and check your reservations. While the airline does have a duty to alert you to a schedule change, sometimes they wait weeks or months to do so. So especially when you've booked in advance, every couple weeks or so, go into your confirmation with the airline or the booking engine, such as Orbitz, and make sure all is good. If something has changed, you'll be first in line to make sure you get the best alternative.

While you're there, don't forget to check your seat assignments. The airlines often will keep the same flight times, but change the physical type of aircraft on the route. When that happens, the seat assignments go away, and you get a nasty surprise of middle seats when you get to the airport. So make sure every time you're in your flight information to ensure your seat assignments are still what you want.

What happens if you get a schedule change, and the change won't work; for example, a flight which arrives too late for you to catch your cruise, or too early for you to disembark at the end and get to the airport? First thing to do is call the airline directly. Yes, you'll have to deal with the menus and the computer to get to a real person, but that's the only real way to do it. Some of the online agencies can help if you booked through them, but I always recommend going to the airline first.

What you need to know when you call is that if the flight has changed by more than 1 hour, almost all the airlines (I say almost because I don't know of one which doesn't have this policy, but I wanted to be safe) will allow you to make a change to a different flight, without change fees and at the same fare. You do need to explain why the changed flight they assigned won't work, but they're usually good about making the change for you.

Once in awhile, you'll get an agent who either doesn't understand that policy, or plain doesn't know. They'll tell you that you can't make a change without fees. Politely thank them, decline the change and hang up. Then call back and get someone else.

My rule for dealing with airlines (and cruise lines and most similar situations) is: I don't accept the first "no", I rarely listen to the second "no", but begin to believe them if I hear it a third time. In other words, it all depends on who you speak with. In a case like this where you know you're correct, don't force the issue, merely keep calling until someone says "oh yes, that's no problem at all." If you keep getting the wrong answer, you can also politely ask to speak with a supervisor to see if they can "override" the policy. While there really is no reason for an override, the supervisor is more likely to know how to do what you're wanting and get it taken care of. But you can wait awhile to get through to one, so that's not your best first line of attack. Calling back and just getting someone else works 98% of the time.

Sometimes, the airline flight schedule is such that no flight will work for you. In that case, you might have to ask for a refund and purchase on another airline.

Know the options when you call about the change - if you ask for a specific flight (making it easy for the agent), they're more likely to get you exactly what you want. If nothing works, be sure before you accept a cancellation and refund that there's another option which, while perhaps less convenient, isn't so expensive as to make it unworkable.

You can also ask to be moved to another airline. It's rare this day in the case of advance schedule changes that the airlines will do it, but if they have a good working relationship, or code shares (such as US Air and United for example), they may be more accommodating with the request.

What happens if the only option is to go on an entirely different day? Usually the airlines won't cover the cost of a hotel room for that night, even though it's their fault. However, sometimes they will, so it doesn't hurt to ask. You can also check with your trip insurer to see if they'll cover it, but likely not. If the best (sometimes only) option is to fly a day earlier or later, you may have to accept it and find a hotel on your own. Not terrific, but at least you're finding out early so you can find a better price than trying to work it out just before your departure.

I don't really find that one airline is better than another in dealing with this kind of thing. Southwest is generally the friendliest and most flexible, but since they cannot book you on any other airline, the options are limited there. There simply may not be anything they can do, but at least you're pretty well guaranteed they'll be nice when they tell you that.

While the airlines may not vary much from line to line with how well they deal with this, it does vary dramatically individual to individual. So the big key is to be nice, be persistent, don't be afraid to hang up and try again. And if you have the golden ticket of being elite with the airline, use your exclusive phone numbers - those agents will take much better care of you and prioritize your requests. Put those numbers in your cell phone book, too, so you call the right one if you get in trouble on the road. Elite fliers are really treated differently. Use every bit of leverage you have.

Of course, if you have questions, even if I didn't book the air for you (which I generally don't), I do deal with these situations all the time. Call for advice and assistance! After all, that's why you use a full-service agent. My experience isn't only about the cruises themselves, but the other aspects of it. I'm here to help!