Stay calm. Taking your anger out on the airline staff or people around you will not help the situation. Take a deep breath and assess the situation before taking any immediate action. Call ahead to let hotels, tours, friends and family know that your travel plans have changed and then begin to address the situation. Keep all of your travel information together in one place on a personal organizer or a travel planning website like Tripit or Tripcart (see Resources).
Talk to the airline directly. Don't wait to hear from other passengers what is going on. Approach the desk yourself and find out exactly why the flight is being delayed. Ask gate agents how long the wait will be and whether they have any suggestions for alternatives to waiting.
Arrange alternate transportation. If the entire flight is canceled or is delayed and won't be leaving for a long period of time, speak to other airlines that fly the same routes. Try to arrange some kind of deal with a partner airline or if you can buy a cheap standby ticket and have your luggage transferred. If you can get to your destination by land, ask the original airline about information for bus, train travel or even car rental.
Relax in a lounge. If you are an elite member of your airline, are flying in an upper class section or are a platinum American Express member, you may be able to spend your time waiting in luxury in an airline lounge. If you do not qualify, speak to a member of the airline staff and ask him if he can arrange for you to spend your waiting time in the lounge in exchange for the inconvenience.
Discuss compensation. Often airlines will offer vouchers for hotel stays, free flights or even vacation packages if you were bumped off your flight. These can sometimes amount to much more than what you would have received with the money you have paid thus far. Make sure that you are not being taken advantage of, and politely remind a staff member that you are a paying customer and that you deserve some form of repayment for the lack of service.
Pack a book, laptop or some form of entertainment when traveling to keep you occupied in case of flight delays.
Buy travel insurance from a company like AAA for any other prepaid forms of accommodation, transportation or tours and activities. In the event of a flight delay, some insurance companies will compensate you for any loss of money that was not reimbursed.
Read the fine print before purchasing your airline ticket, as each airline and ticket differs. You may have heard rumors about a Rule 240, and it does help to know your passenger rights. If you don't know what the airline contract says about flight delays or cancellations, ask a member of the staff to show you a copy of the company contract or to quote what it is they are required to do in accordance with the ticket that you hold.
Ask for a refund. If all else fails and you can no longer afford to take this trip with the flight delay, approach the desk and discuss refund policies. Some companies are more lenient than others, and your success may depend on whether you booked directly with the airline or through another agency, and on what type of ticket you purchased. Remain persistent, and you should be able to negotiate some kind of compensation.
