Skip to Content

Secret Travel Hack: What to do if Your Flight is Canceled

Share with a friend

It’s never fun when your flight gets canceled. There are several things you can do when your flight is canceled from making sure you get a hotel room, getting compensated, planning ahead, and having other options.

Here is the one secret travel hack that can get you on another flight and save you hours of frustration.

Secret Travel Hack: What to Do if Your Flight is Canceled

Do you know the secret travel hack when your flight is cancelled? Traveling Well For Less

Stuck at the airport because your flight was canceled? And you’re one of the hundreds of people who are in the same situation? Here’s what you need to do to get a seat on the next flight.

When weather causes flight cancellations, everyone at the airport is stuck in the same situation. But you can be the exception.

Don’t wait for hours in line at a customer service desk or a gate. Be in the know and do what frequent fliers do when their flights get canceled.

Head immediately to the closest airport lounge for the airline you are flying.

If your airline doesn’t offer a club or lounge, avoid the mess and regroup in a Priority Pass lounge.

Pro-tip: A Priority Pass airport lounge membership gets you into over 1,500 airport lounges worldwide. You get free Priority Pass membership and airport lounge access from these cards.

Why Go to an Airline Airport Lounge

When your flight is canceled because of weather the staff at an airport lounge offers you the best chances for getting on another plane.

1.  Shorter Lines

You’ve seen the lines at the airport when a flight is canceled. They wrap around and around. And the wait is tiresome and long.

But you can avoid that in an airport lounge because the lines will be significantly shorter. Think maybe 10 people at the most instead of 100.

2.  Staff

Not only will the lines be shorter, but there will be more customer service representatives available. The airport lounge staff can rebook you on another flight.

Because the agents in airport lounges typically aren’t as stressed as the agents in the terminal, you won’t feel as tense.

3.  Refresh and Relax

Why stand around waiting in the terminal when you can have a seat while the airport lounge agent finds you another flight.

Enjoy refreshments, access your email, and get work done with the free Wi-Fi. You can even enjoy a shower.

Pro-tip: You don’t have to fly in First Class or Business Class to use an airport lounge. Whether you’ve booked a cheap airline ticket or used frequent flyer miles, you can get lounge access.

Free Airport Lounge Access

If you don’t have a Priority Pass membership, you can get free airline airport lounge access if you have one of these credit cards:

If you don’t have a credit card that gives you free lounge access, you can buy a day pass from several airlines. You can purchase an American Airlines Admirals Club Day Pass for $79 per person or 7,900 American miles.

A United Club Day Pass is $59 per person. Alaska Airlines sells day passes for $60 per person.

*Enrollment is required for select benefits.

** Starting February 1, 2025, Reserve Card Members are limited to 15 Delta Sky Club Lounge visits per year. You have to spend $75,000 or more in eligible purchases on your card between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024 and each subsequent calendar year for unlimited visits.

Pro-tip: Delta stopped selling day passes. If you have a Single Visit Pass, you can still use it for club access until it expires as long as you’re flying Delta or on a SkyTeam airline.

It could be worth paying for a day pass to save time, relax, and have somewhere pleasant to wait for your next flight.

After you’re put on another flight, here’s how to get a row to yourself on the plane.

Be sure to make all your connections because here’s what happens if you skip a connecting flight.

Conclusion

If your flight is canceled, make sure you know the one secret hack that will save you hours of frustration and help you get rebooked on another flight sooner.

Go to an airport lounge. You’ll get helped quicker than at the customer service desk or gate.

With a Priority Pass membership, you can get into over 1,500 airport lounges all over the world. You can also get free airport lounge access from certain credit cards.

And if you don’t have a card that gives you free entry, you can buy an inexpensive day pass from American Airlines or United Airlines.

This trick will only work if you’re flying on American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, or one of their airline partners.

If you’re flying on Southwest, JetBlue, or Frontier, you’re out of luck. Unless you have a Priority Pass membership that gets you into any participating airport lounge regardless of which airline you’re flying.

Would you pay $59 to $79 to avoid waiting hours in line and get booked on another flight sooner?

Pin this to your travel, travel tips, or vacation board:

Do you know the secret travel hack of what to do if your flight is canceled that will save you hours of frustration and help you get rebooked on another flight sooner.

Comment, tweet, or share this post.

Get the best credit card signup bonuses.

Follow us on Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube

Got a question? Or want help, suggestions, travel tips, learn how to travel for free, find out about travel deals, and maximize your miles and points? Use the subscription box below to sign-up and get post updates by email.

Miles and Points Strategy Consultations

Need help with your miles and points? You can book a miles and points consultation. Whether you're learning how to use travel rewards or have been in the game, this consultation is personalized for your needs. We can discuss credit cards, loyalty programs, anything and everything miles and points related.
 
Includes a summary and a written plan with recommendations on how to achieve your miles and points goals sent within 24 hours after consultation.
 
Note: This is a consultation not an award booking service.
 

Traveling Well For Less has partnered with Your Best Credit Cards for our coverage of credit card products. Traveling Well For Less and YBCC may receive a commission from card issuers.

Capital One Venture X Business

With the Capital One Venture X Business the welcome offer is 150,000 mile bonus after spending $30,000 on purchases in the first three months.
 
My favorite perks about this card are free Capital One Lounge access, earning 2X points on all purchases, and transferring miles to over 15 travel loyalty programs.
 

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best card to get started in the world of miles and points. It is the first card you should get to start traveling for free because the welcome offer is 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.You can get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel value: the 60k points are worth $750 when booked through the Chase Travel portal. And you get up to $300 in statement credits on travel booked through the Chase portal your first year.
 
My favorite perks about this card are earning 5X points on travel when booked through the Chase portal (2X if direct purchase), 3X points on dining, $50 yearly credit on hotels booked through the Chase portal, no foreign transaction fees, and transferring points to 13 airline and hotel partners like Hyatt, United, and Southwest.
 

Maniprabha

Friday 10th of March 2017

These are actually great tips. Thanks for sharing

Tamara Elliott

Monday 6th of March 2017

I'm all about the airport lounges! Not only are staff there more available to help due to shorter lines- but it's sure a nice place to pass the time during a delayed flight :-)

Chrysoula

Monday 6th of March 2017

That is amazing. I had no idea thta the staff on the lounge could help you as well and that all of these credit cards gives you free access. Awesome thanks for sharing

glenn

Wednesday 8th of February 2017

What a brilliant idea, But I have never traveled, so if this problem were to happen to me, now I have an idea what to do.

Maria Han

Friday 20th of January 2017

This is really a great information and tips with us, I can use this for my travel! Glad you share this post It will helpful so much.

Comments are closed.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.