suggestions on what to do when traffic accident causes a missed flight?
 

I want to be able to give out good information to some of my hotel guests in the future...

Last night, one of my guests took a private sedan from the hotel down to the airport for a flight. He left 3 hours prior to his flight (a 45 minute drive, so 2 hours for airport procedures, possible traffic). Well, there was a tanker truck accident (with subsequent truck on fire) that shut down the highway for hours. All traffic was stuck - it was in a canyon and no exits or way to turn around (the East lanes are set higher up on the hillside than the West lanes). Traffic was back up for over 5 miles. His father asked me if there was anything we could do. I told him to right away call Delta and say the son was stuck and to ask about the "flat tire rule" and get him rescheduled for today. He did that - after being on the famous "no status" phone line for over an hour. Agent said "sorry, not our problem, your fault." I told him to HUCA - he did and this time (after another hour of wait time), was told the son MIGHT be able to get partial credit to use for a flight tomorrow, but then the phone call was dropped. He called again (after another wait) and was now told that, since the son has now missed boarding time, he was out of luck. I had the dad tell the son to get on Twitter and contact @Delta for help. I'll find out when I get to work today how it turned out.

For future times, what is the best thing I can tell a guest if something beyond their control is going to cause them to miss their flight? What good "official" verbiage can they invoke to help their situation? It's hard for some when they are away from home and feel just lost.

thanks in advance for any suggestions.

There is an unwritten rule called the "Flat Tire Rule" where they will usually place you on standby for the next flight out based on the circumstances.

In a flat tire situation, if calling doesn't work, try Twitter as well, and if all else fails still get to the airport as soon as possible. The airport agents usually have a lot more leeway (and awareness) of local issues than someone on a phone sitting on the other side of the country. I've had times where the phone agents couldn't do anything so I went to the airport and the agents there went out of their way to find me a solution - even once getting together with the airline next door to help me get where I needed as all the later flights were oversold.

As said above, the flat tire rule is unofficial. You have to approach it as if you are asking for help, not demanding they do something they aren't required to do.

+1 In this case, going to the airport as soon as you can is the best advise.

Gotta say, it's more helpful if posters actually skim the post instead of suggesting that the OP try what the OP said she already tried.

This is much more helpful, I think.

There's no secret. Just be nice.

In most cases DL has been helpful in various situations, though status does probably helps, especially since I assume they can see your "file".

Almost had this happen about 10 years ago as our rental car got totaled less than a mile from the airport. But AVIS was there so quickly and got us to the airport and through the paperwork quickly so that we still made the flight. I do think DL had a backup for us.

There was a time that I was being driven to DTW to catch a flight on Thanksgiving Eve and the Interstate totally shut down. By the time we were able to call they almost yelled at us for not calling earlier. I didn't fly at all at that time and so all they would do is let me buy an expensive FC ticket to fly home Thanksgiving morning. Oh, why didn't I call earlier? This was the early 70s and for some reason nobody had a cell phone with them.

40+ years ago. there was no FF program to bestow status and tickets (even the rare discounted ones) were as good as cash toward future flights/refunds. This is not relevant to the OP's situation.

This. Certainly nothing wrong with trying to call first, but airport agents tend to have more leeway in missed flight situations. Especially in a case like this where the agent, who probably lives in the local area, might know about the highway closure and be more sympathetic.

Missed a flight at MCI last year since the bus/shuttle took to long to get to the lot. Was flying UA with no status. Got to the gate and agent said she was paging me for the past 15 mins. She rebooked me on the next flight without any issues. I got to the gate and saw the jetway still docked at the plane. She also told me about the flat tire rule. Seats were all standby though.

Another instance, I got to SLC too late - it took me 30 mins to return a car with Avis. SLC front desk agents were very helpful and rebooked me for the next flight out the following day.

Like others have said, go to the airport as there is much more flexibility there than what phone agents can do.

Agreed with everyone. Your best bet is in person with the TA.

First, I want to say that I agree. Airport agents can do things that phone/res agents cannot.

That being said, while I understand this incident isn't the passenger's fault, it certainly isn't DL's fault either.

I've been in a similar situation on UA (inbound was a separate PNR, delayed, missed last flight of the night), and I was EXTREMELY grateful that they rebooked me on a flight the next morning. But I was fully prepared to buy a walk-up fare, even though "it wasn't my fault".

I just got back from work. Thanks for the replies. At least I know I on the right track with my suggestions while he was stuck in the traffic. I didn't think about trying to find the local DL number. I'll try to find and keep it at the desk!

The backup in the canyon was hours and no way to turn around or go elsewhere. He was lucky he at least had cell service as there are some known gaps in coverage through the canyon. There were no more flights to his destination nor even in the same direction for any kind of overnight connection, so he ended up coming back to the hotel once traffic started moving. Dad bought him a new ticket for a morning flight and decided to work on credit for the missed one.

What airport? What canyon?

Not necessary information: how to talk to DL about missing a flight due to an hours-long traffic closure is pretty general and applicable to anyone, on the way to any airport. but, since you're nosey:

SLC. Only a daypack as carryon... Semi-truck crash and fire in Parleys Canyon, Interstate 80. Closed the road for over 4 hours. Traffic backed up all the way back up the canyon. No way to turn around/move. Guest departed hotel before the crash - crash happened while he was enroute. Please don't say they could have turned around or something else. I had friends who live down in SLC stuck in the same jam and couldn't get home for hours.

It's just one of those things in life. It's nobody's fault and DL is obviously under no obligation to offer up free rebooking in those circumstances. Often airlines will, however, and it's nice to get an agent that can be accommodating in those circumstances. The only other suggestion is, as always, to have good travel insurance.

Most people don't even think about trip insurance for a weekend trip, at least in the US...

It's actually a written rule. I'm sure that some RES or TA agents aren't aware of it...but, it does exist. Suggest they look it up internally. You need to show up at the airport or call within one hour of the flight departure. If the same booking class is available on the next flight you can SDC with fee waived. If class isn't available...standby...with priority C for the flight. After the last flight of the night...you get the first flight of the next day hopefully confirmed in your booking class or standby. (I've heard that some agents will just book you in whatever class to get you on your way....YMMV.)

I'm not being nosey (that would be wanting to know what hotel you work for). I asked only because twice you mentioned the crash was in a canyon with no way to turn around, and in your initial post, you also wrote that the eastbound lanes are set higher on the hillside than the westbound lanes. Details like that with no indication of what airport, what state, not even what country, are not very helpful.

If I had to guess, I would have guessed SoCal because I know that can be a problem on I-15 over the mountain pass between Victorville and the L.A. basin. Another place where an interstate has opposing lanes of traffic at a different elevation because of terrain is I-81 in western Virginia, but that's a long way from the nearest airport with scheduled flights (ROA I suppose).

I've driven on I-80 that way, across Salt Lake City, then across the Bonneville Salt Flats and through Wendover UT/W. Wendover NV on the way to Elko NV.

Sadly the same people who do this are unlikely to read your reply since they have already bestowed their wisdom on the thread :-/

Well, then they accept the risks. Not judging, I would rarely buy it for such a trip either.

​​​​​If applicable, worth looking into whether a credit card used to book the trip provides any sort of coverage.

Anyone who travels a fair amount should buy annual travel insurance. My parents in law (who live in Canada) just had a doosey of an accident with hospital stays. Travel insurance is taking care of business.

Well, Canadian health coverage doesn't typically cover out-of-country medical expenses, at least not at American costs. Good US health insurance, while it costs someone (either the employer or the policy holder) far more than Canadian insurance for comparable in-country coverage, does cover worldwide expenses. That's the cost that justifies annual travel insurance; covering last-minute airfare in a situation like this is small potatoes compared to an ICU stay in the US. (When I lived in Australia and in the future when I live in Canada, I had/will have annual travel insurance for that reason.) So if your health insurance doesn't cover you while traveling, travel insurance makes sense; if it does, self-insuring and hoping that you'll get on a flight sooner or later in a flat tire situation is more prudent for my travel needs and, I think, those of most Americans with good health insurance.

Personally, I have never in my life missed a flight and wished I had travel insurance, and I'm a cut-it-close traveler.

The point was not necessarily about health care. Paying a small amount annually to take the worry out of hotel stays or misconnects or flat tires has, year after year, paid our for me. Ask my wife about the time her suitcase was delayed by three days on the way to Hawaii. Amex paid out ca $700 without much question.

The most important piece of advice here is to continue to the airport; barring something like it being the absolutely last flight of the day and you'll arrive after departure time or ticket counter closure. Wandering in at some point the next day is likely to result in a hearty "pack sand" for non-status travelers.

My best application of the flat-tire rule was when I watched the plane getting pushback after having to make a witness statement to the Nashville PD when a beloved 70s TV mom slapped the tar out of a hotel desk clerk in a drunken rage, then having an actual flat tire on the shuttle van to the airport.

I think this would be a useful thing to do. The airlines ask you to tell them asap if you will miss a flight and that, generally, a ticket will retain no value if not cancelled before the departure time. The only way to do this seems to be to call the airport, if they will give you a number.

The flat tire is now a policy, not a rule. No longer even mentioned in any way, shape or form in the COC and that is all that counts.

DL, just like most US carriers will generally rebook if it can under extenuating circumstances.

For this reason, the question regarding the airport and blocked highway was perfectly reasonable and given that OP came here for commercial advice to offer customers in the hospitality industry, her answer was unhelpful and inhospitable.

When the passenger was likely to miss his flight, the key is to call DL, advise that you won't make it and ask that a note be added to the PNR notes. Then, at the airport, address the issue.

Because it is not a fare rule for discounted tickets, this needs to be addressed at the airport. If there really was a massive blockage, DL and other carriers would have been aware of the issue and likely ready to make acommodations as passengers arrive. That is why asking OP to identify the location was a good question and the failure to answer a simple question makes this all quite suspicious.

Do not --- as the passenger's father did --- book a new ticket. Obtaining a goodwill refund will be very hard.

+1

It's always much, much harder to get money you've already, voluntarily, given to an airline back than it is to get a waiver/favor by them putting you standby on an airplane you aren't technically allowed on by the fare rules; their marginal cost for flying you standby is very small, whereas giving you cash they don't actually owe you by the rules is real money out of their pocket.

I'm wondering why you thought to know what airport, state, etc., was relevant. I was asking what to do in a situation like what my guest had. It would have been anywhere. That's why I found it curious that you needed to know. I was hoping that, by giving what happened to my guest, it could be used for the common good of all FTers, not just a very specific occasion on a specific stretch of road going to a specific airport...

BTW, I-80 from SLC to Wendover is NOTHING like the stretch of I-80 from SLC to Evanston, WY. The accident had the semi totally stretched across all lanes, on fire. With our hot and dry temps right now, they did not want to risk fire igniting the land between the e/w lanes. The driver died in the fire.

Where is it stated in the CoC that DL currently has a "flat tire rule"? That has been gone for years. You can always look for a friendly DL agent to waive the rules, but that is the luck of the draw, not the rules. If you want protection, buy trip insurance.

Delta will always reaccomodate a passenger in the situation posted. You need to go to the airport. I am not sure why the son did not call res himself. Having a third party call introduces issues even if it's the dad unless he was flying as a minor. With I80 closed for 4 hours the staff at the airport would be very aware of the situation.

FYI....here is a link to local news.

reportshttp://fox13now.com/2017/07/02/westb...-burning-semi/

It may not be a part of the passenger contract (CoC) but OHDL1 implied it's in some sort of procedure manual:

Seems there should be another rule for that situation. I suspect I know which TV mom that was. Was she in town hosting a TV cooking show?

Yep, they probably dealt with quite a few people that encountered exactly the same because of this accident.

The dad and the son were trying. Son had his cell - it had spotty service and the battery was an issue. They were just trying every way possible to get assistance.

OP - this is exactly why you should always go to the airport - local agents have the local knowledge. But you are asking them nicely for help - you should never demand anything from them when it is not their fault that the passenger is late.

For a similar situation in the future: call in before departure and inform them of the delay. Specifically ask the agent to leave a note in the record of the issue, so the airport can verify you called before departure.

Never ever buy a new ticket. It will be impossible to refund the old one. Nicely work with them, and they will usually find a way to make the existing reservation work.

The son you refer to probably could have flown out that night. Many others may have been late for flights or not shown up (like he did), and they could have cleared him onto one of these flights that same night at the gate, off the standby list. Again, airport agents can scan flights for misconnects or availability and work with the passenger.

Finally, forget the idea of getting a local number to call. They won't give it out (I've gotten the LAX number once because of a serious DL issue that was their fault - and after that 1 call, they told me to forget the number and never call it again LOL). There is a reason all phone traffic is diverted to reservations - the airport agents are there to help passengers at the airport. It wouldn't even make sense for them to rebook you over the phone, even if you had the local number, because they won't know what flights you can actually make until the passenger physically presents themselves at the airport!

Sorry, but badly wrong here. Son could not have flown out that night - no other flights to his destination. He did call as soon as he had cell service when he was stuck. He also called his dad to let him know what was happening. No reason to get to the airport when they would have gotten there after the last flight to anywhere that night. Airports do shut down, you know... After getting numerous replies that they were out of luck (except for the dropped call), they felt they had no recourse. How do you know they were not nice and polite when speaking to the phone agents. So, please don't lecture me about this. What started as a nice request for what they could do has degraded into another nasty thread. To those that actually offered good info, thank you.

Oh, another tanker accident late this afternoon at almost the same spot. Traffic backed up again.

Moderator: as no one is offering anything substantive anymore, feel free to shut down this one...

If you already know the answer, then why did you ask the question in the first place?

We are trying to be helpful here and you are the one being rude.

The correct answer is to go to the airport anyway and call if possible at the same time, but nevertheless, still go to the airport. The only way to know that there are no employees at the ticket counter is to go to the ticket counter. It cannot be done over the phone.

It's quite possible that a crew member for that same flight was also stuck in the westbound I-80 traffic stoppage, in which case the Delta flight might still be sitting there at the airport, delayed. There's no point in giving up and going back to the hotel and missing your flight if you can still make it or at least find an employee at the airport when you get there. SLC is a Delta hub and shuts down later than most other airports that Delta flies to. Calling is helpful, obviously, but don't assume that you're going to miss the flight. The flight can be delayed for some other reason and then you could still make it.

1) Flat tire meets overinflated ego rule.

2) Yes

There is another reason for showing up, it provides credence to the bona fide nature of the issue.

DL does not want to give free changes whenever somebody simply calls in and asks.

Getting one's ... to the airport is the only sound advice

Curious why OP is so vehement against it based on the exact details of this event. She is asking for advice on general future events.