What am I entitled to if the plane I am scheduled on is cancelled due to mechanical difficulties. I arrived at my destination 4 1/2 hours later than expected. They gave me a 6 minute phone card, coupon for up to $100 off(if the ticket is over $400), and two vouchers for $5 worth of food (or drinks, or 500 miles). Are you allowed to bargain in these situations? What should I have asked for?

Depending on where you're going....

One hidden benefit of mechanical delays is that you can pretty much reroute yourself onto any airline. You can "double dip" by earning miles for the flights you should have taken, and miles for the airline you do fly.

To clarify, you can earn miles in 2 different programs. If you are booked on NW and you reroute onto CO, I don't think you can pool all of these in a single Co or NW account.

Aside from that, I think a meal and a phone call are pretty standard.

[This message has been edited by Viajero Joven (edited 12-13-2000).]

A digression

Coincidentally, these benefits are also standard for those arrested for (phone call) and convicted of (final meal) capital crimes.


End of digression

Wideman

Arriving SAFELY has to be the best compensation of all!

I agree with you on that Roadrunner. The only reason I ask is that many people here seem to get considerably more perks than I seem to be obtaining. To add to my frustration beyond the 4 1/2 hour delay, I also got food poisoning--so I was not a happy camper. I think the staff was great in accomodating my travel needs--but I was just wondering what all the experts here would have expected. Thanks for all the input.

Viajero Joven wrote:

I remember hearing that my delayed Northwest flight to Phoenix was canceled as I was watching the last HP flight of the evening push back. Yeah I got the meal ticket and the phone card, and I was "protected" on a later NW flight that got me to Phoenix at about 2:00 am, after the last flight to Tucson. Since my connecting was on a seperate ticket they only offered to reserve a rental car for me to drive home (at my expense!) In the end, after much complaining I was given a hotel room and rebooked on the first flight of the morning to Tucson.

Here is Northwest Airlines's Customer First guide: http://www.nwa.com/plan/guide.html

Believe it or not, I think that Northwest "Service Recovery Packet" is actually better than most other airlines offer.

I think people have said you can earn either CO or NW miles for both flights in a situation like Viajero Joven mentioned.

On my return flight MCO-DTW-LGA last week, the DTW-LGA segment was first delayed by air traffic and then cancelled because of mechanical problem while taxi on the runway. I did get the Service Recovery Packet but lost my first class seat . Am I entitling to any compensation for losing the free upgraded first class seat?

[This message has been edited by OnePassLover (edited 12-13-2000).]

No. CO did something that cost me an upgraded set and the answer is a resounding no.

Got to agree with TravelLover - you did say it was a "free" upgrade. Compensation - zilch.

My experience when you loose your F/C seat due to a mechanical cancelation is that you are first in line for a center seat in coach on the next flight. What's the alternative? learn to live with it!

Regarding severely delayed flight compensation...

I was booked in discount coach on a delayed flight from Memphis to Seattle last summer. They kept having "mechanical problems", so they finally ordered a second aircraft -- an ancient 757. This 757 had brown/orange color scheme and shag carpeting on the walls... That second plane had a "light" in the cockpit upon take-off and we had to return for another :30 of waiting. We were delayed for a total of 4.5 hours.

The gate agents initally gave us 1 compensation packet and then another when we returned to the gate in the second plane. I didn't think that was enough, so as a non-elite, I e-mailed them a week later and corresponded with a Customer Support Supervisor named Timothy. He ended up mailing me a $60 TCV and zapped me 5,000 bonus miles. I figured that was a good value for my 4.5 hrs. on the ground in Memphis...

Depending on your approach and the amount of your inconvenience, I think that they are very flexible and generous...

Shane

I agree a $50-$100 travel credit voucher is pretty standard if you politely ask in a case like this. Getting some miles, or an extra upgrade cert, is a bonus as well.

As mentioned, I've also gotten hotel rooms in these situations. E.g. I'd rather get a hotel room at 10:30PM rather than wait in the airport for a 4AM departure, etc. Also you can often get a taxi voucher when you arrive at your destination late, especially due to mechanical.....but also due to weather. Whenver I get in after midnight/1
AM, I make a trip to baggage service and say that I have missed my ground transportation home. Almost always, a cab voucher is quickly written out.....not just NW but other airlines. I always make it a point to ask the cab driver about the circumstances when the airlines usually provide vouchers. Drivers say it is on the decline from years ago, they do it a lot during bad weather, and that the people "who know what they are doing" get the vouchers while twice a year flyers pay their own way home.

I read an article a while back about a family stuck in a UA hub due to weather, and when asked why it took so long to get help from the airline, the family was told it was because they were not premier, and that UA would accommodate its premier customers before general passengers.

The next time this happens to you, one idea, is to get the service recovery packet, and then on either CO or NW ask the gate agents to upgrade a future reservation for you early....e.g. so you won't have to wait for the 3 2 or 1 day window. They are often willing to do this.