The airport is a series of confusing and frustrating experiences. There are so many people, flights to catch, luggage struggles- it can be overwhelming! This article will offer some helpful tips to help you plan your way through the airport with ease.
“Sleeping in an airport” is a common occurrence when traveling. Here are 9 things that will keep you from getting stranded in the airport.
9 Ways To Avoid Being Stranded At The Airport
on December 19, 2021 by Gary Leff
This traveler was caught in the middle of Scylla and Charybdis:
Our @united flight from Punta Cana was delayed, so we lost our connection to RDU, and there are no flights from EWR tonight. At 6 a.m., I was rebooked and given blankets and pillows. Option #2 was to take a two-hour taxi to a hotel, sleep for two hours, and then pay for the taxi back to EWR. Do better as a group. @0aOnkljIHB pic.twitter.com/0aOnkljIHB #ownyourmistakes
December 12, 2021 — Bryan Carrico (@jrpup462)
On social media, it’s simple to lash out against an airline. However, until your tweet becomes viral, you’re not going to go very far. It’s preferable to take charge of the problem yourself. Here are nine strategies to avoid this from happening to you.
- Request a rebooking on a later flight. Sure, getting to your holiday at 6 a.m. saves you time, but is 2 hours of sleep or sleeping at the airport a fun part of your vacation?
- Make your own hotel reservations. I appreciate that this may be too expensive for some, but vacations sometimes come with unforeseen fees (you may even test positive for Covid asymptomatically as so by surprise and have several extra days of lodging on the back end). You’re not likely to desire the accommodation that the airline will provide you for free anyhow.
Thank you, @AmericanAir! We didn’t make it home yesterday since we missed our connection. So they put us up at a three-star hotel so we could sleep in a room with bugs! Thank you very much, AA! pic.twitter.com/CHepVD6Vv0
December 11, 2021 — Luke007 (@Luke00714829272)
- Pay attention to whatever credit card you use to purchase your tickets, since trip delay coverage will usually pay in the case of a forced overnight – book your own accommodation and save receipts for not just the room but also meals and back-and-forth transportation.
- Select your relationships with care. You can’t remove all risk, but if a delay would make your journey unmanageable, avoid challenging hubs (New York airspace) with short or even standard connections where a delay will prohibit you from reaching your destination. Make sure you’re not on the final flight of the night. Make a plan for a backup itinerary (these can sell out).
- If you buy a new ticket on a different airline, the schedule could be better, and last-minute journeys aren’t necessarily as costly as they used to be, thanks to ultra low-cost carrier competition. Consider the cost of purchasing a new itinerary and paying for it (at least in part) with a refund of your original ticket vs the cost (both cash and non-monetary) of the overnighting choices available to you.
- Don’t simply take the first flight that the airline provides you; conduct your research beforehand. Even if you’re not an expert at utilizing tools to discover inventory, just search for flights for sale, and if anything is available to buy, it’ll almost always be feasible to get you on that flight if there’s a delay or cancellation.
- Inventory is always changing, so keep an eye out for something better. People miss flights, alter flights, and if your preferred flight is sold out, keep reviewing your choices.
- Seek assistance from someone else. If the person assisting you isn’t providing you with what you want, call/text/tweet or look for someone at the gate, customer service, ticket counter, etc. If you’re told no three times, it’s probably true, but if it’s feasible, you could discover someone willing to go the additional mile for you.
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The “airport layover guide” is a blog that provides information on how to survive the airport. It has 9 things that will keep you from getting stranded in the airport.
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