Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC / TYO / Up in the Air
Programs: UA GS 1.7MM, AA 2.1MM, EK, BA, SQ, CX, Marriot LT, Accor P
Posts: 6,310
I LOL at the title of this thread as there is absolutely nothing "TYPICAL" about recovery after a flight cancellation. IME it depends on the following:
1. The quality of the agent you speak with when you call
2. Your status (sometimes ranked number 1 when being backed up)
3. See #1
If you get a great agent you can have a great outcome - sometimes even better than your original routing. If you get an indifferent agent, regardless of your status, it can be a nightmare. Honestly wasn't trying to be funny - to me the single greatest - and nearly only - factor in how things are handled is the quality of the agent. Get a good one - UA is great. Get anything else - you won;t be happy...