I'm seeking 'best practice' when one missed a connection flight and was stranded. (And when getting drunk is not an option). Is it more efficient to wait in line to talk to desk agent, or can you rebook thru the general reservation phone #?

My friend missed DL connection flight (in Y) to LGA in ATL last nite. Because of weather, delayed planes, hurricane, the place was a mad house. Lines were out the door. He waitlisted another flight to no avail. Went back & waited in line for 2+ hours for a hotel vocher. Got to the hotel and they were completely booked, so it was not honored. Luggage missing, cell phone dying, it was a mess. Even morning flights are sold out.

Could / Should he, in the first place, simply call reservation over the phone and rebook in the first place? And will DL pay for a separate hotel bill that's made by him and not the desk agent?

It's a good idea to get on the phone as soon as possible in these situations, as available flight options are going to decrease as you wait in line.

More than once I have been in that mile long line as scores of flights are ground due to weather. Here are my tips:

Dial the reservations number while waiting in line. Have the phone agent make new flight arraignments, then once you get to the front of the line you will already have arraigments and they can simply print your new boarding passes. If you wait till you get to the front of the line those new flight options might be gone.

The other bonus of calling before you reach the front of the line is you will already know if you will be getting out that night or if you need to ask for hotel/food vouchers.

Go to the shortest line, not just the line at your gate. Go to the service desk, the club lounge if you have membership, I've even gone back to the pre-security ticketing area to save time in line.

If you get the chance to check the weather the day you are flying and you know it might be a factor have a re-route option in mind on your preferred airline ready to suggest if your flight is canceled.

If you do get stuck for at the airport for a while or overnight don't be shy in asking for meal vouchers, hotel vouchers, a day pass to their club lounge, phone cards, overnight toiletry kits, etc.

Be nice to the people helping you, it can make all the difference in getting that hotel voucher even when they don't have to give it to you when your flight is canceled due to weather.

Delta's Crown Room Clubs used to have a specific clause in the membership agreement whereby they stressed that they would NOT provide service to a member in an irregular operations situation, but I believe they axed that in 2002 when they also got rid of the stupid rule that any family member of any airline employee (not just Delta employees) was ineligible for membership.

If there is a lounge, I usually go there and find the help I need. After the problem is fixed, grab a few beers.

For all the reasons cited above, definitely get on the phone WHILE in line, and definitely consider going back out thru security to the ticket counters if everyone's heading for lines at gates...and, from an experience I had, I'd say even if the city you're stranded in is the hub of another airline, call THAT airline.... Really paid off for me once: Was to fly coach NWA/KLM STL/MEM/AMS/ACC. Bad storms at several midwestern airports were cancelling and delaying many flights. We went back out thru security to the NWA ticket counter. While in line, noting that STL is/was an AA hub, called AA reservations and played connect the dots for the hour and a half we stood in line. The only thing they had open were First Class to east coast US, Business to LHR, and First from LHR down to ACC. About then, we were at the counter, the NWA agent told us what we already knew, that there was nothing on NWA he could put us on for a couple of days, we told him that AA had a few openings in First, and so with the AA res. rep. still on the line we handed the agent the phone to get the flight info.etc. & we had our AA First/Bus./First tix to Africa at no extra charge.
And, rec'd miles for the flight in both airline accounts!! (NWA and AA). Tried to do the honest thing, called both airlines and both said that it was okay and not uncommon in situations like that!

(sidebar: at church the day before, my 6'6" self was not thrilled about the 22 hour flight in coach and asked my group to pray for a first class upgrade!)

Perhaps its time for me to get a few reservation numbers programmed into my mobile. Using the phone is something I've never considered. Not that I'm too bothered about spending a night in a hotel most of the time though (one more night living out of a suitcase hardly makes a difference).

Simple, go get a beer and cry in it.

To reiterate, the phone call is best. It always works for me. Make sure the cell is fully charged before heading to the airport....

Absolutely brilliant! I am definately going to try that next time I get in such a situation. Thanks for the tip! ^

I concur most heartily with this! You can call customer service from the plane in most cases, and they have the very same access to the reservations system that the gate agents do.

Before cell phones were available, many times, I'd hang a left to the pay phones and call the airline. On several occasions, I had my alternate reservations confirmed while everyone was queuing up...went a got some chow, got back to the gate area while the line was still about half full.

But also, one is faced with redoing reservations with the hotel and car rental agencies. And it can take some considerable time, too. Make sure you leave with a full charge on the cell phone, and also make sure your recharger is in your carryon in case you need to recharge the phone. There are often plugs available if you look really hard for one. Doesn't help, though, if you are still stuck on the plane, so again, make sure you have a full charge.

Remember, the goal is to get to your destination as soon as possible.

Always be extremely reluctant to follow the crowd. The crowd is usually comprised of non-creative people who are dependent upon others to solve their problems. Let them sit around sulking about their dismal wait while I assist the airport staff in creative solutions.


* THIS IS A MUST! -- As plane taxis to the gate, you hit speed dial for your airline.
* When exiting the plane go directly to the flight monitors to learn of any other flights that may be departing for your city. This may be unnecessary if you have an OAG catalog, though system wide delays make the screens more accurate and invaluable. Scramble to the gate of any flight (same airline) heading to your city with the goal of grabbing a standby seat.
* Hopefully, the phone agent has gotten your problem resolved by now, but don't stop while they are working on it. Kindly suggest alternative options to the phone agent if you think it will help.
* Consider taking flights from partner airlines such as Delta, NWA, and Continental. I have jumped freely between these guys during weather delays.



You have to decide how much effort you wish to put into your resolution. Most people would rather follow a simple procedure of standing in line than trapsing around the airport.