We’ve all been there: You’re sitting at the airport, waiting to go on your Ireland vacation, watching the departures board, and you see that your flight’s been delayed. Only an hour – no big deal. But then after that hour, it’s delayed another hour, then another, then another, until finally you see the big CANCELLED sign next to your flight number.
Don’t panic. If your flight is cancelled, there are ways to handle it that don’t involve showing your potentially uglier side to the general public. After all, nobody’s happy about it, so just stay calm and follow the next set of steps:
1. GO LOCAL.
Contacting local help first should be your main “go-to” no matter what kind of situation you’re in. The people closest to you will be able to give you the most help in the timeliest fashion. Go to the airline desk and calmly ask the attendant what the plan is for the people affected by the flight cancellation. Most likely they’ll give you information on when your flight’s been rescheduled, or if there are open seats on any later flights. Keep in mind that during periods of inclement weather, there may be few to no flights available to put you on.
2. BE NICE AND STAY CALM.
This rule’s a rather obvious one. If you show up to the attendant’s desk screaming and causing a fuss, they’re going to be less likely to help you and more likely to call airport security. Raising your voice is just going to make the people around you uncomfortable and the people who actually can help you, not care to. The people working the airline attendant desk didn’t single-handedly decide to cancel your flight, so don’t take it out on them. We’ve all seen that person before. Don’t let that person be you.
3. CALL TENON.
Unless your flight’s delay will drastically affect your arrival time, we don’t need to know about it. We DO need to know about your flight cancellation, though. If your flight is cancelled, figure out the next flight you’ll be able to get on and then call our 24-hour traveler hotline. If you’ve pre-booked accommodations through us, we’ll do everything we can to notify them of your updated arrival time.
4. CALL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY.
Whether you purchased travel insurance through Tenon Tours, or another carrier, it’s important to contact them as soon as you know your new flight details. They’ll be able to get your refund process started earlier when they know ahead of time that you’ll be submitting a claim.
5. KEEP ALL YOUR RECEIPTS.
You’ll be able to claim more if you have the evidence to back it up, in the eyes of the insurance company. If your airline doesn’t give you food vouchers, then keep your receipts for any meals you didn’t intend to buy at the airport – same rules apply if you don’t receive a hotel voucher and you have to stay overnight somewhere (not at the airport). Your insurance company should be able to cover up to a certain amount per person per day of those types of incurred expenses (it depends on the policy). The travel insurance company will then contact Tenon Tours for the actual amounts due for missed hotel nights, transfers, tours, etc. The earlier you are able to start a claim, the faster you’ll be able to receive a reimbursement check.
If your flight is cancelled, it doesn’t mean your entire trip is ruined. It’s an unfortunate side effect of traveling, sometimes. Keeps these tips in the back of your mind the next time it happens to you, and perhaps that flight cancellation will be ever-so-slightly less annoying since you know how to handle it.
