What should you do if your flight is canceled? FOX5 breaks down your options

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - If you’re one of millions with a cancelled flight, you don’t have to feel stuck at the airport.

If your flight is cancelled due to unexpected weather delays and you wish to simply call off your entire trip, you will still be entitled to a refund, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

What if you need to fly?

FOX5 Vegas turned to Seth Wayne, travel agent and owner of Sail with Seth, for tips on how to navigate the cancellation woes.

“Many airlines are a part of alliances. So if one airline can’t get you out on one specific flight, they may be able to put you on another airline, because an alliance makes a codeshare a lot easier,” Wayne said. “It never hurts to ask a bunch of questions to the airline representative, because they are the ones that hold the key,” he said.

Stuck at your home airport? Wayne advises you to go home, and regroup from there.

Stuck at the travel destination airport? While you brave the long line, make the most of your time by calling different airlines and contacting them via social media. You may get results and a different flight, even before you reach the front of the line.

“Airlines have social media teams that ramp up during times like this where weather is bad from coast to coast. So if you tweet Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, they have social teams that are monitoring those. They might not get back to you right away, but most likely, they will get back to you in a timely manner,” Wayne said.

Feeling frustrated? Being nice is important to get results, Wayne said.

“The best tip is really be friendly to whoever it is on the phone or whoever it is in front of you. Because they really do hold the key,” he said.

Can you avoid a travel nightmare in the future?

Booking a flight with “pad time,” with dates several days before and several days after Christmas is helpful; when weather delays arise, your airline can accommodate your potential change of plans with less stress for you.

Loyalty to an airline carrier and higher customer status will pay off in situations like this, when many are scrambling for a flight at once.

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