1. Read provided information carefully
If an airline cancels your flight, they’ll typically contact you via email, text, or through their app. However they reach out, don’t just skim the message—it will tell you exactly what to do.
In my panicked state, I skimmed the airline’s email and immediately started searching online for a customer service number. The urge to speak to a real person is understandable, but in hindsight, I should have read the email more thoroughly. It actually instructed me to go to a specific part of the airport.
When I finally arrived, I found representatives (yes, real people!) giving passengers updates about flights and hotel accommodations. But since I’d wasted time, I had to join the end of a long line, which I could have avoided if I had gone straight there.
Read More: AirNZ reveals most common cause of flight delays
2. Call your insurance provider
The first thing I did after realizing my flight was cancelled was call my travel insurance company and I recommend all travellers do the same.
Fortunately, my insurer had texted me an emergency number at the start of my trip, and within two minutes, I was speaking to a representative. After listening to my situation, they emailed a detailed breakdown of exactly what I was covered for and what documentation I’d need for a claim.
This was helpful to know before talking to the airline, as I now knew what insurance would cover if I had to make my own way home. Airlines usually rebook travellers quickly, but when the cancellation email mentioned it could be “a few days,” I wanted backup options.
Read More: How do I claim a refund on a flight?
3. Ask lots of questions
This is arguably the most important step—and one I saw many fellow travellers skip.
While standing in the hotel we’d been bussed to, I overheard a couple worrying about how many days it would be before they could get home. “Excuse me,” I said, “there are two flights tomorrow, one at 7 am and one at 7 pm, and you’ll likely be on one of them.” How did I know this? Because I had asked.
“I was just so tired and frazzled I didn’t think to ask,” the woman replied.
Whether you’re speaking to an airline representative, your insurance provider, or a hotel concierge, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Never in anger or frustration—these people aren’t responsible for the cancellation—but so that you feel informed and in control of the situation.
At the cancellation desk, I asked at least a dozen questions, like: Where are my bags right now? Do I need to collect them? Do I need to fill out a visitor visa to leave the airport? What flights are people being rebooked on, and when will I know which one I’m on? How likely is it that I’ll fly out within the next hour/day/week?
Asking questions may feel tedious, but during a rebooking process, staff repeat the same information to hundreds of passengers and might skip over certain details as time passes. For example, they may have told the first person in line exactly where the hotel shuttle was, but by the time I asked, all I got was “downstairs to the right,” which seemed clear enough but wasn’t particularly helpful at an airport as large as Changi.
Staff did, however, know where Subway was, which another traveller had been told to wait outside.
