What’s the Best Way to Get Help at the Airport?

When it comes to getting assistance when flights are delayed or canceled, where can you get the best level of customer care? One writer argues that lounge agents are best equipped to help travelers with getting new flights and printing boarding passes – but the experiences of FlyerTalk are widely varied on the topic.

It’s absolutely no fun having a flight delayed, canceled, or other irregular operations affect your trip. When these things happen, travelers have more tools than ever to get assistance, including customer service desks, phone numbers and even social media. But is the airline lounge the best place to get help?

As part of Lifehacker’s “Mile High Week,” one writer shared an opinion that using lounges may be the best place to get service. Because lounge agents are only dedicated to serving the people in their lounges, they may be better equipped to handle emergencies as they come along.

However, the writer notes: “I have not tried this approach myself, but I’m willing to guess that there are limits to even a lounge agent’s power.” So what actually happens when a non-lounge guest asks for help in their hour of need?

According to FlyerTalkers, the results are mixed. In 2013, FlyerTalker sts603 was flying aboard Delta and tried to get help from a gate agent in catching a different flight. Instead, they were told the flights were “under gate control” and “closed out,” meaning the lounge agent couldn’t do anything for them. The experience left them asking: “Are [Delta] SkyClub agents always so unwilling to help, or not empowered to do so?”

More recently, a FlyerTalker took to the forums to ask if Air Canada lounge agents would help them due to irregular operations. Other forum members related stories of different experiences at the Maple Leaf Lounge.

“They were pretty clear that they didn’t do that there or it would create line ups,” yyxgigi responded to the question. “They did complete a check-in to get me a new boarding pass after I’d already made my change on the phone.” While Wpgjetse offered a different opinion: “Yes, but it can take longer because they still have to check people in.”

Considering the original author never tried asking a lounge agent for help without entry, it may be bad practice to offer that advice. But if the collective knowledge of FlyerTalk has offered us nothing, those who do try to get help from a lounge agent should be prepared to understand that their experience may vary on every attempt.

Want more information on lounges and their amenities? Check out the FlyerTalk forums now!

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