My Flight Was Cancelled, What Am I Going to Do?

My Flight Was Cancelled Unexpectedly

I took a trip to Charleston, South Carolina, for the Christmas season. The night before I was scheduled to depart, one of the people in my tour group mentioned the airline I was travelling on was experiencing cancellations. Call it arrogance or optimism, but I digested what they said and ignored it as I have never had a flight cancelled before. Sometimes I have had delays, but it always turned out okay.

The next morning when my alarm went off at 6:30 a.m., I started my usual morning routine. I am not one to constantly check my cell phone, but after a while, I noticed there was a text message the airline sent in the middle of the night. My 12:30 p.m. flight was cancelled. The message contained a website to go to reschedule. Not surprisingly, the website was busy, and I could never get to it. I found it difficult dealing with such a small screen on my cell phone.

In a total state of panic, I dressed quickly and went to the hotel lobby to get on their computer. Luckily it was unoccupied. I first tried my original airline's website, and I couldn't get to it. Then I tried two other major airlines for flights to Providence, Rhode Island. There were no flights on either airline. Then I thought maybe I could do one part of my trip to an airport halfway home and make my own connection with another airline. That didn't work. I thought about finding a flight to Washington, D.C., and then taking a train, but there were no flights to D.C.

I had booked another trip in two days to Philadelphia for New Year's. I needed to get home and unpack and repack and catch a train.

Now What Do I Do? I Tried to Think Clearly

Now, I was in a total state of panic. The day before, I had reserved a 10:00 a.m. transport to the airport. It was now almost 8:00 a.m. and I didn't know whether to keep searching the computer for a flight, which was beginning to seem useless, or wait until I got to the airport and let the airline personnel sort it out.

My fingers were literally shaking on the keyboard, and flop sweat was running down my back. My thinking was muddled, and I didn't know what to do. I decided as breakfast was included in my tour package, I eat breakfast. If I wound up spending the night in the airport, I had no idea when I would have my next meal.

Guidance, Enlightenment and a Full Stomach

I went to the hotel restaurant and ate breakfast. It wasn't easy. My mind and stomach were in a state of rotation.

My tour guide was also there eating. Our tour was over, and so were her duties. I told her my tale of woe. She told me to go to SkyScanner.com. She said all I have to do is put in my departure airport and my destination, and it will show me every flight from every airline this is available. She said she had used other similar websites but found SkyScanner to be the best.

I thanked her and hurried off to the hotel computer. By now, it was a little after 9:00 a.m. I logged on to the computer and went to SkyScanner. I put Charleston (CHS) as my departure airport and Providence (PVD) as my destination. The only flight it showed was one leaving late the next day. By now, my fingers were shaking so badly I could hardly pick at the correct keys.

I tried again, but this time I put in Bradley Airport in Hartford, Connecticut. It came up with a direct flight leaving at 5:30 p.m. that day. It was on Breeze Airlines, one of the newer small airlines that operates out of a limited number of airports. Although I had flown out of Providence, Rhode Island, I live about halfway between the Hartford, Connecticut, and Providence airports.

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I clicked on the flight, and it took me to Breeze Airlines' website. Now I had to set up an account and password. Then it wanted my credit card number. The clock was ticking as my 10:00 ride was arriving soon. I had to maneuver my card out of my purse and type in 16 digits with my trembling fingers. Success!

I printed my boarding pass. It was 9:46 a.m. I grabbed my suitcase and ran to the hotel entrance where the airport limo was waiting.

By Accident I Had Made All the Right Choices

When I got to the airport, the lines at the airline I had originally booked snaked around forever and, what seemed like, into infinity. It seems they had cancelled all their flights. So glad I didn't count on getting to their desk to get a rescheduled flight.

The two other major airlines also had long lines of frustrated customers.

The next desk over was Breeze Airlines. The attendant at the desk was literally leaning on the counter on his elbows. There was no one—I mean absolutely no one in line.

It was now about 10:30, and I was wondering if I wanted to check my luggage. What if this flight was cancelled? Would my luggage go into that vast abyss of lost luggage? The decision was made for me. The airline would not check luggage until three hours before the flight.

This was somewhat problematic as I couldn't go through TSA without first checking my luggage. The Charleston airport is on the small side, and there were very few amenities on the side outside of TSA. Luckily, I always carry a few nutrition bars with me, and there was a convenience store in which to buy water.

I used this time to contact the car service that dropped me off at Providence and ask if they could pick me up at Bradley, Hartford. My driver said he could.

Now that this was done, I sat down on a sofa relaxed, knowing I had a flight and commiserated with other passengers.

Lessons Learned

• When travelling by plane again during peak times or inclement weather, before leaving home, check alternate available flights, print them out and take them along. They may not be available, but it's a possibility.
• Check the closeness of a train for departure or a nearby alternate airport.
• Take a car service or have someone drop you off at the airport. This leaves open the possibility of returning to a different airport.
• Check a phone or tablet for messages from the airline the night before and first thing in the morning of my departure.
• Do not wait until getting to the airport to reschedule. It may mean hours standing in line with no positive results.
• Carry a few nutrition bars or snacks. No point in being both frustrated and hangry.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2023 Ellen Gregory