How to deal with a flight cancelation?

Sharing is caring!

Have you ever had a flight cancellation? If so, then you know exactly how frustrating it can be and this post is for you. If not, this post is also for you because the chances are that any of the two scenarios will happen to you or have happened to someone that you know. I have written step-by-step how I deal with a flight cancelation, a step by step guide to get your money back, a refund and in some cases a compensation for your cancelled flight.

Trust me, having to deal with a flight cancellation is not fun at all!

This happened to me in the summer. My flight from Vienna to London was first delayed a total of two hours and then cancelled.

---

4 steps on how to deal with a flight cancelation

The whole day was a fiasco, I went to Vienna to meet some friends and join the pride parade (read about my experience in Vienna here). I barely slept and my flight was at 5 pm on the following day, Sunday.
I left the house with enough time to get to the airport. What started to be “plenty of time to get to the airport” became “I might miss my flight”.

I ran like I hadn’t run in a long time. When I got to the gate it was delayed 30 minutes, then another hour, and then it got cancelled. The worst was that no one came to let us know about the flight getting cancelled.

What to do when your flight gets cancelled and no one is at the boarding gate to inform you?

This was my question too, and although it was s**t, I am glad that I learnt something and that I can share this with you.

I quite frankly had no idea what to do at the time.

Step 1: Look for the airline email stating that the flight got cancelled

Look for an email from the airline, when flights get cancelled normally the airline offers a different flight.

With some luck, you can get a flight on the same day. You shouldn’t have to pay extra if you are using the same airline, however, be aware that everyone on the same cancelled flight will be trying to do the same thing as you. The next flight might get overbooked, and likely to be super expensive – be quick don’t do like me.

I wasn’t quick, I tried to call the airline first. Got placed on hold for 45 minutes on the phone. By the time I looked at my email, the airline gave me credit for another flight (which I didn’t want), and all the next available flights were tripling the price (This is quite common because a lot of people are trying to book a specific flight and cookies allow them to know about this demand which makes the airlines automatically increase the rates)

I didn’t manage to speak to someone over the phone because my phone was low on battery. So, I decided to start talking to people to understand if they have been in similar situations and what to do next. This brings me to step 2.

Step 2: See if the airport staff can assist you with a replacement flight

There they will be able to assist you with a suitable flight. If the next available flight is a day or two ahead, make sure the airline/information desk arranges your hotel. This also happened to me.

My flight got cancelled and the next available flight “paid” by the airline was five days ahead. My flight got cancelled on a Sunday and the next available flight was on the Thursday after. I could not take any annual leave (mainly because I didn’t have any) but also because in my current job, they don’t allow me to work from home, or anywhere (I know…). The information desk arranged a hotel and dinner and food if needed. However, I had to book another flight for the day after. Flying back on Thursday was genuinely impossible for me.

Thanks to Expedia, I got a flight back to London via Zurich that cost me a leg and harm (£459 to be precise) to take me home on the following Monday.

Step 3: Get in writing any refunds agreements

Get in writing all the compensations promised by the airline, even if the information is given by phone. Make sure you know how to access the phone recordings.

I didn’t do that, not straight away at least, and it cost me 4 months of emailing and fighting to get my rights back. The service desk told me I would receive the money from this flight back, even if I bought a flight with another company. In this case, I bought it via Expedia with Austrian Airlines and Swiss Airlines. I didn’t have this in writing. Which then proved to be very hard to confirm. However, every phone call was recorded, and three members of the team repeated the same thing over the phone. So, I requested the calls to be used in some of the emails.

Side note: if your flight is cancelled due to bad weather, the airline will not provide you any compensation even if the staff says so. This happened to me.

The service desk provided me a stamped document saying that I would get €400 in compensation. Only later I realised that this would not be possible because the flight was cancelled due to a natural cause – weather.

Step 4: Make a refund claim

If you can’t book another flight ASAP, then go back to the information desk and request them to book you another flight.

Perhaps the most important step in my opinion because it was what solved the situation. I made a claim with the aviation association.

The aviation association is the semi-governmental body responsible for accrediting airlines. Too many complaints and an airline stop being “accepted” in the skies. Bingo! I filled out their form and waited patiently. After 15 working days, the airline responded to the pressure and provided me not only the money from my cancelled flight but also the difference from my new flight.

Another thing that I did was to claim on my travel insurance. Because I wasn’t sure if the Aviation Association claim would work, I also claimed my cancelled flight on my travel insurance.

See here all the travel insurances that I recommend, and that I have purchased in the past.

In the end, everything worked out. But I must tell you that this was very very very stressful and took a long time to get solved, and I am still waiting to get my original flight refunded to my account.

Alternatively, you also can apply for compensation via 3rd party companies that help you settle the claim. There is a fee involved, but they normally charge it after you receive the refunds (see Airhelp here).

This post was to shed some light on those who get a cancelled flight. I know in Europe is happening every single day.

If this, is you, and you stumble across this post, I hope it gives you some highlights on what to do next.

A side note: I am a resident of the UK, and this worked for me here. But I am sure there will be something similar in every country. I am aware that Airhelp is widely used around the world and can be a good option.

Safe travels

M x

Sharing is caring!