6 ms·

Currently stuck in the airport, flight rebooked two weeks out with the incredibly generous option for a refund. No compensation or covering of hotels or car ren

Currently stuck in the airport, flight rebooked two weeks out with the incredibly generous option for a refund. No compensation or covering of hotels or car rental as the delay was "uncontrollable". I don't live here and not really sure what to do. Other flights seem to be leaving just fine.

scrapcode 3y ago
Two weeks until the next flight? Is your destination somewhere you could drive?
- letmeflyhome 3y ago
  It's a 10 hour drive give or take, but the challenge would be in returning the car. Also the agencies I've searched understandably do not allow one-way trips that go beyond national norders.
  - zwily 3y ago
    So you must be going to Canada then? Maybe rent a car to get to the border, then rent again inside?
    - letmeflyhome 3y ago
      That could work Update; It seems like the few nearby locations I've checked are not allowing alternate drop locations
      - epc 3y ago
        I got stuck once at Pearson and ended up calling the various rental car agencies until I found one (Hertz) that had a car that had to return to NY state, so they didn't penalize me and just charged a "normal" one way rate.
        letmeflyhome 3y ago
        That's incredible, I will try that. Thank you. I did just find out that U-Haul has some that I can one-way rent, though they are expensive, closer to $750 USD, which is roughly the price of a next day flight.
        20kleagues 3y ago
        You can drive to NYC and take the Adirondack to Montreal or the Maple Leaf to Toronto. These are both daily trains.
        krull10 3y ago
        Why drive to NYC? If one is in DC you can just take the train, especially if then shifting to a train from NYC to Montréal…
        haldujai 3y ago
        I didn't know these existed. I was looking at them and they seem sold out for the next week. Why would one normally take this route (13 hours and $178 while a flight is 2 hours and $213), scenery?
        cmrx64 3y ago
        I’m someone who often takes trains when I can, over planes. The scenery is sometimes nice, but in the NE corridor it’s largely just backyards and tree-lined alleys through industrial areas. More pleasantly, I don’t need to interact with TSA, I don’t get the weird derealization that comes to me in airports, I don’t get dehydrated or pressure headache, the seats are larger/comfortable, the internet is faster/cheaper, and finally, the carbon emissions are fewer per passenger-mile. edit: and when I’m restless the train has much more space for light exercise or walking.
        mauvehaus 3y ago
        Other Uhaul life hacks: You don't have to be 25 to rent a uhaul. There are uhaul franchises nearly everywhere, at least compared to regular car rental outfits. And a note: uhaul has two fleets. The local only fleet, and the one way fleet. The one way fleet has more reliable/newer trucks. If you're doing a lot of miles locally and you ask nicely, they'll sometimes give you a truck from the one way fleet. Good luck getting home!
      - bombcar 3y ago
        Do a rental for return and then call and change to an alternative drop off. They may/will charge you but it can work.
        Scoundreller 3y ago
        Have heard sometimes the non-airport locations can be desperate for cars and might waive drop-off fees if you ask to drop off at one instead of an airport. Saves them from having to move a car from the airport themselves. Probably car dependent.
        bombcar 3y ago
        One rental I had wanted $600 for “one way” but the guy at the counter told me to rent it for return and call corporate the next day - they said just drop it anywhere for $50 more and never actually bothered to charge me that. It can all vary.
      - hattmall 3y ago
        TRy Uhaul if need be.
      - thsksbd 3y ago
        I got stuck at dca last week. Drive back. Check w/ hertz
  - epc 3y ago
    Can you try changing to a flight out of Philadelphia or NYC (different ATC centers) assuming they haven't solved this for you?
  - gnulinux 3y ago
    Can you fly to Philadelphia/NYC/Boston/Baltimore etc?
  - krull10 3y ago
    As others mentioned, if you are in DC it is easy to take a train to Philly or NY and you can then catch a flight from one of the airports in those areas.
speakfreely 3y ago
Try to get a train ticket to Philadelphia (airport code PHL) or Newark, NJ (airport code EWR) and fly out from there. I'm sure lots of other people have the same idea but it's worth a shot. If Amtrak train isn't an option, there's also https://us.megabus.com/ https://us.megabus.com/ which may be more affordable and have more availability.
- ericbarrett 3y ago
  I like Megabus etc. and have voluntarily used them for shorter hops. Slower obviously, but it's more relaxed than a plane, the seats are comfier, and your cell phone will work the whole way.
qazxcvbnmlp 3y ago
- this happens from time to time. Your situation is bad, but not unique. Other examples include: weather on Christmas Eve. First step is get food / water, whatever you need to feel grounded. If you are calm, the agent who can help you will be calm and calm agents can work wonders. If you are angry, upset, frustrated, hungry, tired (all responsible responses to the situation) the agent will turn into a robot and not go out of their way to help you. If you want to fly out; find a more senior agent (can be hard to do in a bigger airport). Don’t ask for one directly, instead look for the subtle signs: confident but slightly less put together clothing, someone dressed as a manager - but who is doing customer service, someone who is helping other agents, etc. Then it’s a two step process: 1) ask them to put you on a standby list on a flight to get out of the airport, doesn’t matter where, just a pick a hub closer to your destination than the current one. It will take a couple tries, but at every flight, show up to the gate and stay until the door is closed and the airplane is pushed back. If you don’t make it, ask to be rolled over to the next one. Especially in weird situations there is constantly a couple people that do not show. 2) once you get to the other hub, kindly ask them to rebook you the rest of the way home.
- eyelidlessness 3y ago
  > the agent who can help you will be calm and calm agents can work wonders. If you are angry, upset, frustrated, hungry, tired (all responsible responses to the situation) the agent will turn into a robot and not go out of their way to help you. Somewhat contrary perspective: the last time I was stuck in an airport indefinitely, everyone insisted everyone else stay put for indefinite lengths of time, because the delayed flight would leave “as soon as possible”. After several hours of this, I angrily insisted that it isn’t reasonable to keep people at a terminal hanging on indefinitely and that we’d all be better off if everyone could agree to reconvene at the next estimated arrival. A bunch of other passengers emphatically agreed, and the airline staff agreed then too. Then everyone went and had their food and drinks and whatever, and no one was angry anymore when the flight finally boarded.
  - pc86 3y ago
    And I've seen agents send away passengers who start yelling, and basically kick them to the back of the line for being a jerk (not saying you were a jerk in this scenario). At the end of the day it doesn't matter how tired, frustrated, upset, etc. you might be. Everyone else likely feels the same and statistically it's very likely one or several people on the flight are in a worse spot than you. That doesn't mean you start getting angry at a United desk agent in O'Hare because Potomac Approach's radio is down. They didn't do it, they don't have the power to fix it immediately, but they do have the power and the right to fix it for everyone else first. Honey vs. vinegar and all that. There are plenty of ways to let customer service folks know that you're upset without getting angry at them. Another comment in this thread puts it very well: "it can be very beneficial to override [(completely understandable) frustration/anger], and it'll immediately make you easier to deal with." Any time a flight is cancelled the agent immediately has 100-400 people to deal with. Half of them will be downright pissed right off the bat. When they only have 3 open seats on the next flight, they are not giving them out to the people screaming the loudest.
lumost 3y ago
Airline is obliged to cover hotel/food if you booked round trip with them. They don’t advertise this fact for obvious reasons. Go the ticket counter and talk to the person about hotel.
- ericpauley 3y ago
  Isn’t this only true if the delay is the airline’s fault? It’s certainly not the case for, e.g., weather. The airline will/did argue the cancellation is outside their control.
- CPLX 3y ago
  For the most part this is incorrect for US domestic flights.
- lxgr 3y ago
  That's definitely not true for all cancellation reasons in the US. After a cancellation due to bad weather, I was once given the option of a pretty ridiculous connection (5 hours cross-continent in the wrong direction before proceeding towards my destination) and getting a hotel at my own expense (the airline did give me a 10% off voucher though!) and flying on the next day.
nodamage 3y ago
If you paid for the flight with a credit card check if they offer any sort of trip delay coverage.
killingtime74 3y ago
Travel insurance

scrapcode 3y ago

Two weeks until the next flight? Is your destination somewhere you could drive?

letmeflyhome 3y ago
It's a 10 hour drive give or take, but the challenge would be in returning the car. Also the agencies I've searched understandably do not allow one-way trips that go beyond national norders.
- zwily 3y ago
  So you must be going to Canada then? Maybe rent a car to get to the border, then rent again inside?
  - letmeflyhome 3y ago
    That could work Update; It seems like the few nearby locations I've checked are not allowing alternate drop locations
    - epc 3y ago
      I got stuck once at Pearson and ended up calling the various rental car agencies until I found one (Hertz) that had a car that had to return to NY state, so they didn't penalize me and just charged a "normal" one way rate.
      - letmeflyhome 3y ago
        That's incredible, I will try that. Thank you. I did just find out that U-Haul has some that I can one-way rent, though they are expensive, closer to $750 USD, which is roughly the price of a next day flight.
        20kleagues 3y ago
        You can drive to NYC and take the Adirondack to Montreal or the Maple Leaf to Toronto. These are both daily trains.
        krull10 3y ago
        Why drive to NYC? If one is in DC you can just take the train, especially if then shifting to a train from NYC to Montréal…
        haldujai 3y ago
        I didn't know these existed. I was looking at them and they seem sold out for the next week. Why would one normally take this route (13 hours and $178 while a flight is 2 hours and $213), scenery?
        cmrx64 3y ago
        I’m someone who often takes trains when I can, over planes. The scenery is sometimes nice, but in the NE corridor it’s largely just backyards and tree-lined alleys through industrial areas. More pleasantly, I don’t need to interact with TSA, I don’t get the weird derealization that comes to me in airports, I don’t get dehydrated or pressure headache, the seats are larger/comfortable, the internet is faster/cheaper, and finally, the carbon emissions are fewer per passenger-mile. edit: and when I’m restless the train has much more space for light exercise or walking.
        mauvehaus 3y ago
        Other Uhaul life hacks: You don't have to be 25 to rent a uhaul. There are uhaul franchises nearly everywhere, at least compared to regular car rental outfits. And a note: uhaul has two fleets. The local only fleet, and the one way fleet. The one way fleet has more reliable/newer trucks. If you're doing a lot of miles locally and you ask nicely, they'll sometimes give you a truck from the one way fleet. Good luck getting home!
    - bombcar 3y ago
      Do a rental for return and then call and change to an alternative drop off. They may/will charge you but it can work.
      - Scoundreller 3y ago
        Have heard sometimes the non-airport locations can be desperate for cars and might waive drop-off fees if you ask to drop off at one instead of an airport. Saves them from having to move a car from the airport themselves. Probably car dependent.
        bombcar 3y ago
        One rental I had wanted $600 for “one way” but the guy at the counter told me to rent it for return and call corporate the next day - they said just drop it anywhere for $50 more and never actually bothered to charge me that. It can all vary.
    - hattmall 3y ago
      TRy Uhaul if need be.
    - thsksbd 3y ago
      I got stuck at dca last week. Drive back. Check w/ hertz
- epc 3y ago
  Can you try changing to a flight out of Philadelphia or NYC (different ATC centers) assuming they haven't solved this for you?
- gnulinux 3y ago
  Can you fly to Philadelphia/NYC/Boston/Baltimore etc?
- krull10 3y ago
  As others mentioned, if you are in DC it is easy to take a train to Philly or NY and you can then catch a flight from one of the airports in those areas.

speakfreely 3y ago

Try to get a train ticket to Philadelphia (airport code PHL) or Newark, NJ (airport code EWR) and fly out from there. I'm sure lots of other people have the same idea but it's worth a shot. If Amtrak train isn't an option, there's also https://us.megabus.com/ https://us.megabus.com/ which may be more affordable and have more availability.

ericbarrett 3y ago
I like Megabus etc. and have voluntarily used them for shorter hops. Slower obviously, but it's more relaxed than a plane, the seats are comfier, and your cell phone will work the whole way.

qazxcvbnmlp 3y ago

- this happens from time to time. Your situation is bad, but not unique. Other examples include: weather on Christmas Eve. First step is get food / water, whatever you need to feel grounded. If you are calm, the agent who can help you will be calm and calm agents can work wonders. If you are angry, upset, frustrated, hungry, tired (all responsible responses to the situation) the agent will turn into a robot and not go out of their way to help you. If you want to fly out; find a more senior agent (can be hard to do in a bigger airport). Don’t ask for one directly, instead look for the subtle signs: confident but slightly less put together clothing, someone dressed as a manager - but who is doing customer service, someone who is helping other agents, etc. Then it’s a two step process: 1) ask them to put you on a standby list on a flight to get out of the airport, doesn’t matter where, just a pick a hub closer to your destination than the current one. It will take a couple tries, but at every flight, show up to the gate and stay until the door is closed and the airplane is pushed back. If you don’t make it, ask to be rolled over to the next one. Especially in weird situations there is constantly a couple people that do not show. 2) once you get to the other hub, kindly ask them to rebook you the rest of the way home.

eyelidlessness 3y ago
> the agent who can help you will be calm and calm agents can work wonders. If you are angry, upset, frustrated, hungry, tired (all responsible responses to the situation) the agent will turn into a robot and not go out of their way to help you. Somewhat contrary perspective: the last time I was stuck in an airport indefinitely, everyone insisted everyone else stay put for indefinite lengths of time, because the delayed flight would leave “as soon as possible”. After several hours of this, I angrily insisted that it isn’t reasonable to keep people at a terminal hanging on indefinitely and that we’d all be better off if everyone could agree to reconvene at the next estimated arrival. A bunch of other passengers emphatically agreed, and the airline staff agreed then too. Then everyone went and had their food and drinks and whatever, and no one was angry anymore when the flight finally boarded.
- pc86 3y ago
  And I've seen agents send away passengers who start yelling, and basically kick them to the back of the line for being a jerk (not saying you were a jerk in this scenario). At the end of the day it doesn't matter how tired, frustrated, upset, etc. you might be. Everyone else likely feels the same and statistically it's very likely one or several people on the flight are in a worse spot than you. That doesn't mean you start getting angry at a United desk agent in O'Hare because Potomac Approach's radio is down. They didn't do it, they don't have the power to fix it immediately, but they do have the power and the right to fix it for everyone else first. Honey vs. vinegar and all that. There are plenty of ways to let customer service folks know that you're upset without getting angry at them. Another comment in this thread puts it very well: "it can be very beneficial to override [(completely understandable) frustration/anger], and it'll immediately make you easier to deal with." Any time a flight is cancelled the agent immediately has 100-400 people to deal with. Half of them will be downright pissed right off the bat. When they only have 3 open seats on the next flight, they are not giving them out to the people screaming the loudest.

lumost 3y ago

Airline is obliged to cover hotel/food if you booked round trip with them. They don’t advertise this fact for obvious reasons. Go the ticket counter and talk to the person about hotel.

ericpauley 3y ago
Isn’t this only true if the delay is the airline’s fault? It’s certainly not the case for, e.g., weather. The airline will/did argue the cancellation is outside their control.
CPLX 3y ago
For the most part this is incorrect for US domestic flights.
lxgr 3y ago
That's definitely not true for all cancellation reasons in the US. After a cancellation due to bad weather, I was once given the option of a pretty ridiculous connection (5 hours cross-continent in the wrong direction before proceeding towards my destination) and getting a hotel at my own expense (the airline did give me a 10% off voucher though!) and flying on the next day.

nodamage 3y ago

If you paid for the flight with a credit card check if they offer any sort of trip delay coverage.

killingtime74 3y ago

Travel insurance