I echo the advice of the people right above me. No yelling and taking it in stride really helps.

Just had my first flight cancellation a few weeks ago. Was a US Express flight operated by Mesa, or Skywest I think, can't remember. In any case an 8:30 am flight cancelled, received an email notification that I was rebooked on a 6:30 pm flight. Ok fair enough, I was ok with it.

It was traveling for a work conference and my co worker was rebooked on an American Eagle flight at 5:30, so I call US airways and ask to be put on that one, no problem.

Get to the airport and am told the American eagle flight is delayed, will miss my connection, so they rebook me back on the US express flight I was rebooked on in the first place. Checked my bag in, got boarding passes, all is well. Flight is a little delayed but should still make the connection.

I did some research on my own and saw there was one more PHX to SAN flight that night. Sure enough, the US Express flight is delayed even more so we miss our connection. So I head back to the US ticket counter and ask to be put on that last flight to SAN. I didn't yell, didn't flip out, just gave them the flight number and calmly asked if they could get me and my bag on it.

Turns out they did. Went back into the bag storage in the airport to retag my bag, gave me my new boarding passes, and me and my co worker made it to San Diego at midnight, a full 12 hours after we had planned to arrive, but we made it, and with our luggage. I was prepared to book a room in Phoenix just in case, but luckily that didn't happen and we made it.

So bottom line it does nobody no good to whine and moan about a cancellation. Always look up alternate routings, and have ideas about hotels if necessary. Even before we missed the connection I had that alternate flight in mind just in case. Remember the airline employees have no control over a cancelled or delayed flight, but they do have control over the way you are treated afterward. Make their job pleasant, say please and thank you, and they will be more inclined to help you out.

So I was pleased with my customer service experience with the US contractors at my home airport, and definitely feel great about flying them. Of course my co worker says from now on he will only fly southwest because he has never had that issue with southwest. Because they never cancel flights.

Honestly though if I have a choice of mainline or regional, I pick mainline because they have less issues. There is no such thing as a perfect airline though.