Winter Travel Tips for Flying

Always Fly Direct

The worst winter travel problems frequently occur at connecting airports. If your first outbound flight is canceled and you end up returning to your own home from your local airport, that’s not too bad; if you are stuck in your vacation hotel hoping to get a flight home, that’s a bit worse. But when you’re stuck in a connecting airport in Texas calling hotels and praying for a place to stay, you’re in what I would call your worst-case scenario.

For this reason, you should fly nonstop whenever possible. To find nonstop flights, do all your initial flight searches with the “Nonstop Flights Only” button checked on your favorite booking engine. If you also use search options like “Show Nearby Airports” and “My Dates Are Flexible,” you’ll have a very good sense of how best to get from Point A to B without any Point C for connection.

Beware of Layover Times

If you absolutely must fly with a connection, watch your layover times carefully. If a weather delay causes you to miss your connection, you might be out of luck; the airline is not necessarily obligated to find you a seat on the next flight, and often cannot logistically do so if flights are full or unavailable. If you have a really tight connection time and your flight is running late, tell a flight attendant who may be able to make arrangements to hold your next flight, or at least get you off your first flight quickly.

Watch Out for Bad Weather

Check the weather at your connecting cities as well as at your departure and destination airports. You’ll want to know what the weather is like for the departure and arrival airports (particularly if we’re traveling on vacation), but for the same reasons stated above you’ll want to know what is going on at your connecting airport as well. If the weather looks threatening, contact your airline to see if it can reroute you; it may be in its best interest to do so, and save you a lot of grief. Your chances of getting on a different flight will be greatly enhanced if you’ve already done the research yourself to determine which alternate flights might work best. Don’t count on a gate agent to know about or search the schedules of other airlines.

Connect Through a Warm-Weather Destination

Try to book your connection through a southern city where weather shouldn’t be an issue. There are no guarantees here, as northern airports tend to be better equipped to deal with winter conditions, and a snowstorm can almost wholly shut down an airport that more often suffers from too much sun. However, your odds are better in places that rarely see ice or snow.

Book an Early Morning Flight

Choose a morning flight. For two reasons: First, you are far less likely to have your flight affected by problems at other airports. Second, if your flight is canceled or badly delayed, your options for alternate flights are greatly increased, improving your odds for getting on a different flight by the end of the day.

Route Through Smaller Airports

Consider alternative airports. Very often the problem is not solely weather, but also the overall volume of passengers and flights. In places like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Houston, second-tier airports aren’t too far out of town and are tied into the transportation grid.

Prep for Airport Security Ahead of Time

Get ahead of the game at security. Before you even get in line, put all your gear and spare coins into a pocket of your carry-on bag. With so much valuable stuff getting dumped into plastic bins all day, every day, it’s inevitable that stuff gets left behind, dropped, damaged, broken, or even stolen. If you take 15 seconds to stow everything, you’ll make the time up twice over on either side of the security gate, and won’t risk losing cell phones, wallets, keys, and other essentials. Find more airport security tips in our TSA Frequently Asked Questions guide.

Save the Gift Wrapping for Your Destination

The annual holiday travel rule: Don’t wrap gifts—security will have to rip them open. With the TSA searching checked bags as well as carry-ons, this applies to all of your luggage; not just what you bring onto the plane with you. Consider shipping your gifts ahead of time or wrapping them once you get to your destination. Our complete guide on flying with gifts will help you navigate any holiday packing issue. 

Avoid Peak Travel Dates

Finally, avoid peak travel dates as best you can, particularly holiday weekends. Find out the ideal (and not do ideal) dates to book holiday flights in our handy guide.

Winter Travel Tips for Driving

Stock an Emergency Kit

Put some extra clothing and emergency items into your vehicle; these will come in handy if you break down in cold weather. Assemble a basic kit including a pair of gloves, weather-resistant pants and/or coat, maybe an old pair of boots, a blanket, jumper cables, a flashlight with some extra batteries, and a windshield scraper (and maybe a de-icer), and you should be in good shape. You might also toss a few nutrition bars in as well; things that won’t spoil, are packed with calories, and can bail you out in a pinch.

Prepare Your Vehicle for Winter Weather

Make sure your car is checked over for winter weather readiness. In particular, you or a mechanic should inspect your tires before the first big winter storm.

Prioritize Visibility 

Once your vehicle is inspected and equipped, follow this advice I heard a while back from a Montana snowplow driver: “See and be seen. Keep your headlights and taillights clean, especially in stormy weather. Keep windows clean and make sure defrosters work well. If snow has built up on your vehicle overnight or after a break from driving, clear it away so it doesn’t blow off and obscure your windows.”

Drive Slow

Slow down. The U.S. Department of Transportation recommends slowing down by about 50 percent in bad weather. Also leave extra space between you and the car in front of you in case of slippery roads.

Watch Out for Icy Conditions

Remember that not all stretches of road are created alike. For example, many recently built small bridges and overpasses have been designed to blend into the surroundings, with a gradual or nonexistent change in elevation. These bridges nonetheless remain susceptible to icing over much more rapidly than regular blacktop. Look out and look ahead for these short stretches of road when temperatures approach or drop below freezing. If you don’t know the ropes of driving on icy surfaces, here’s how to drive on black ice.

Skip the Cruise Control

Some features of modern automobiles may actually serve you poorly in bad conditions. In some SUVs and four-wheel-drive vehicles, for example, you may have better traction when the vehicle is under way, but the four-wheel drive won’t help you stop any faster. Also, skip the cruise control; your cruise control feature may accelerate when you least want it to, such as when you are climbing an icy bridge.

Keep Cat Litter On Hand

Some safety experts recommend putting a bag of kitty litter in the trunk, both for added ballast to offer better traction, and to put under the wheels if you need to get yourself out of a slippery spot.

Stay Safe If Stranded

If you’re stranded and have to stay in your car, you can run the engine for heat, but make sure the exhaust pipe is not obstructed by snow or mud. If you prefer not to have the engine running the whole time, close the windows to keep heat in, and run the car for 10 minutes every hour, cracking open a front window when you do so.

Park Indoors When Possible

If you are parking at your hotel or near attractions in bad weather, opt for a spot in an indoor parking garage when available.

The post 18 Winter Travel Tips for Flights and Road Trips appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Under the new federal rules, airlines must promptly provide full refunds, paid out in cash or the original form of payment, whenever a domestic flight is delayed by more than three hours or an international flight is delayed by more than six hours. Refunds must also be given for any baggage fees if luggage arrives over 12 hours late, as well as for services like WiFi or premium seating if those amenities are paid for but not actually provided.

The refunds, which must be issued within seven days for credit card purchases and 20 days by other payment methods, cannot be substituted with travel vouchers or credits against the passenger’s wishes. This policy closes a loophole that previously allowed airlines to force such alternatives in lieu of actual cash refunds.

In addition, the DOT now requires airlines to disclose fees upfront what fees will be charged for checked bags, a carry-on bag, and for changing/canceling a reservation. “The rule will help consumers avoid unneeded or unexpected charges that can increase quickly and add significant cost to what may, at first, look like a cheap ticket,” the DOT said in a statement. In the future, flyers will see these fees disclosed the first time the fare and schedule information is displayed on an airline’s website (and not through a link or at the end when they go to purchase the ticket). 

“Passengers deserve to know upfront what costs they are facing and should get their money back when an airline owes them—without having to ask,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Today’s announcements will require airlines to both provide passengers better information about costs before ticket purchase, and promptly provide cash refunds to passengers when they are owed—not only saving passengers time and money but also preventing headaches.”

Finally, the last part of the new rule will require that airlines provide travel credits or vouchers to passengers who are “restricted by a government or advised by a medical professional not to travel to, from, or within the United States due to a serious communicable disease.” Although flyers will likely be required to provide proof of their illness, this is good news for anyone who has ever fallen sick before a flight. 

The new rules will take effect over the next six to 12 months. In the meantime, the DOT is also considering working to create policies that would forbid airlines from charging for parents to sit with their children, to make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory during delays or cancelations, and to expand rights to allow flyers who use wheelchairs to travel safely and with dignity. 

The post Delayed or Canceled Flight? Airlines Now Owe You Cash appeared first on SmarterTravel.

With cancellations, your rights derive solely from the airlines’ contracts of carriage, plus relevant principles of general contract law. And because no federal regulations apply, those rights are not uniform but instead vary from airline to airline.

All airline contracts go to extremes to make sure you understand that, one, airlines do not guarantee schedules, and two, airlines are never responsible for consequential damages—losses you might suffer because you don’t arrive at your destination on time or at all.

But in a routine cancellation, you have two basic contractual rights on any airline, subject to minor variations: either one, a seat on your original airline’s next available flight or two, a refund of the unused portion of your ticket. Some lines go beyond those bare-bones rights. In addition, most airlines promise various forms of assistance if they cancel your flight for a reason within the line’s control, but not when they cancel the flight because of bad weather or some other force majeure factor.

Although 2023 saw the lowest flight cancellation rate in the last decade—just 1.2%—many people are still feeling the unease of the past three years of unpredictable pandemic travel.

Though your odds of being canceled are slight, you can face some real hassles if you should get caught.

Download Our Ultimate Flight-Cancellation Rights Guide

Print this handy, downloadable guide to find out what your rights are in the event of flight cancellation for thirteen major airlines.

Flight Cancellation Definition

In general, airlines define cancellation pretty much as you’d expect. Some, however, limit cancellation procedures to cases where the airline can’t get you to your destination without a delay—either a “reasonable time,” in some contracts, or a specific time, such as 90 minutes, in others.

Refunds

The almost universal policy is that regardless of cause when an airline cancels your flight, you have a right to a full refund of the remaining value of your ticket. Refunds are in the same form as ticket purchase: cash or credit to a credit card.

A few airlines go beyond this basic requirement to include a provision that if your onward connecting flight from a hub airport is canceled on an outbound trip, and you no longer want to continue the trip, the airline will return you to your original airport at no charge and refund the entire value of the ticket.

A few lines’ contracts do not specifically promise a refund, but in practice, a refund is almost always an option.

Next Available Seat

Most airline cancellation policies are built on the assumption that you really want to get you to your final destination as quickly as possible. But the extent of assistance varies. Almost all airline contracts promise to get you a seat on that airline’s next available flight to the ticketed destination at no extra cost. Lines with two or more classes generally specify a seat in the same class as ticketed, but most also say that if no seat is available in the original class, they will accommodate you in a higher class with no additional fare or in a lower class with a refund of the fare difference. A few lines specifically allow you to reroute yourself to an alternative nearby destination, but most don’t address that subject; instead, it’s negotiable. But you see substantial differences in whether an airline will try to get you a seat on another airline that can get you to your destination more quickly:

• Some airlines offer only the next available seat on their own line.
• Some offer to transfer you to another line (or ground transport) that can get you to your destination before they can get you there, but only at their “sole discretion.”
• A few lines offer transfers at your request. This provision is the remaining trace of the former near-universal Rule 240 transfer procedure widely employed before deregulation.

All airlines consider airports they serve within a multi-airport region as equivalent destinations: Getting you to Newark, for example, is equivalent to getting you to JFK. Multi-airport regions in the U.S. are Chicago (O’Hare and Midway), Dallas-Ft Worth (International and Love Field), Houston (Bush and Hobby), Los Angeles (International, Burbank, Long Beach, Ontario, Orange County), New York (JFK, Newark, LaGuardia), San Francisco (International, Oakland, San Jose), and Washington (National, Dulles, and Baltimore). Some lines also conflate Ft Lauderdale, Miami, and West Palm Beach.

Contracts generally do not treat all the possible details, one way or another. If, for example, the next available seat is on a red-eye and you don’t want to endure a red-eye, contracts generally don’t say anything about finding a later seat on a better schedule. If the next seat to your original destination is not available within a reasonable time, most lines will agree to put you on an earlier available flight to a nearby destination: Philadelphia instead of New York/Newark, for example, or San Francisco rather than Sacramento. If you decide to abort a trip entirely, most contracts do not specify a limit to how far in the future they honor the “no fare change” provision. Sometimes you can negotiate something acceptable, sometimes not.

Delay Assistance

In general, if an airline cancels your flight because of some force majeure event outside the airlines’ control, your only rights are either a refund or the next available seat to your destination. Many airlines list force majeure events in their contracts; Delta’s list is typical:

Weather conditions or acts of God; riots, civil unrest, embargoes, war, hostilities, or unsettled international conditions; strikes, work stoppages, slowdowns, lockout, or any other labor-related dispute; government regulation, demand, directive or requirement; shortages of labor, fuel, or facilities; any other condition beyond Delta’s control or any fact not reasonably foreseen by Delta.

But when cancellation is due to a problem within an airline’s control—plane change, crew shortage, and such—most lines promise to tend to your needs in the event of an extended delay in finding an available seat. Typically, they offer:

• Meal vouchers for delays of four hours or more.
• Hotel accommodation for extended delays in finding an alternative seat. Some lines specify delay times of eight hours or more or for delays of four hours or more within the period of 10:00 pm to 6:00 am; others just say “significant” time. Some lines exclude hotel accommodations for delays at your home airport; others do not address this specifically but apply the principle in practice.
• Given today’s ubiquitous smartphones, the provision in many contracts that you get a free telephone call is an amusing anachronism. But it’s there in the remote case you don’t carry a mobile phone.

The table shows specific airline-by-airline variation in key provisions. Table data are based on contracts of carriage for domestic U.S. or Canadian travel as posted online in early 2024 and are subject to change. Policies vary in their degree of specificity; in general, where the contract does not address a situation, airline policies not subject to public inspection govern. And some situations are negotiable.

Flight Cancellation Rules Outside the U.S. and Canada

The European Union mandates more extensive traveler benefits in a cancellation than U.S. lines promise in their contracts. Travelers on flights within the European Union, on flights departing from any EU/EEA airport, or on flights to an EU/EEA airport on an airline based in the EU are entitled to:

• Alternative transport, including transport on other lines. or refund, including a full refund and no-charge return to the origin where appropriate.
• Except in cases of flight cancellation due to extraordinary conditions, financial compensation if a replacement seat delays you by three hours or more of if you get a refund, ranging from 250 to 600 euros depending on flight length (most flights to/from the U.S. and Canada fall into the top category).

EU regulations are vague about meals and accommodations.

Cancellation benefits in other countries vary, but tend to follow, at a minimum, the base formula of either a refund or the airline’s next seat.

Dealing with a Flight Cancellation

There is not a single easy solution to a cancellation. In these days of high load factors, the next available seat may entail a substantial delay. But you can help yourself a bit with these tips:

• When an airline cancels a flight well before scheduled departure time, it often automatically rebooks you and notifies you by e-mail or a text to your phone. In general, if the airline’s solution is at all reasonable, take it; arranging something else is almost always a major hassle. If not, suggest your own alternative.
• With a last-minute cancellation, if you used a travel agent, contact the agency or its 24/7 backup, and have the agency arrange a substitute.
• Otherwise, get online, identify possible solutions, and present one or more solutions to the airline, either to its call center or to the agent dealing with problems on the spot, depending on circumstances. Many details unspecified in the contract are negotiable, and most agents would rather respond to a specific suggestion than start looking at all alternatives.
• If you’re involved in a cancellation outside the U.S. or Canada, ask to see a copy of the airline’s contract of carriage or equivalent customer commitment document to see what the airline does and does not promise.
• Keep your cool: The agent dealing with you at a busy airport didn’t cause the cancellation and can’t offer seats that aren’t there. Getting aggressive is likely to gain you less assistance, not more.

Consumer advocate Ed Perkins has been writing about travel for more than three decades. The founding editor of the Consumer Reports Travel Letter, he continues to inform travelers and fight consumer abuses every day at SmarterTravel.

Editor’s Note: The cancellations chart information was updated in January 2024.

The post Flight-Cancellation Rights: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on SmarterTravel.

You get to the airport early, your luggage is checked, you have your boarding pass in hand—and you find out that your flight is overbooked. While airlines can usually find passengers willing to take a different flight in exchange for compensation, it’s the unfortunate truth that the act of involuntarily bumping passengers is pretty commonplace. Most people go calmly, if not happily. But legally if the airline tells you to go, you have to go.

Fortunately, you have rights when you are involuntarily bumped. The Department of Transportation takes this issue seriously and has several rules in place designed to protect and compensate affected passengers. The DOT’s website has the full rules, but here are the highlights:

• First, the DOT requires airlines to give passengers “a written statement describing their rights and explaining how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn’t.”
• If the airline re-accomodates you on a flight that gets you to your final destination within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.
• If the alternative flight gets you there between one and two hours later (or between one and four hours on international flights), you should receive an amount equal to “200% of your one-way fare to your final destination that day, or $775, whichever amount is lower.”
• Finally, if you’re more than two hours late (four hours internationally), or if the airline doesn’t re-accomodate you at all, you should get “400% of your one-way fare, or $1,550, whichever amount is lower.”

The airline must also refund any optional services you paid for (like seat selection) if you don’t receive them on the alternative flight.

Your carefully scheduled travel plans can be significantly disrupted by an involuntary bumping. While bumping remains relatively rare, the DOT has noted an increased rate of bumping since the start of the pandemic, with July through September of 2022 seeing a bumping rate of 0.22 per 10,000 passengers as compared to 0.19 per 10,000 passengers for the same period in 2019.

So it probably won’t happen to you, which is good. But it’s still important to know your rights. Decrease your chances of getting bumped even further by booking on the airlines that are least likely to bump passengers.

The post What Are Your Rights When You’re Involuntarily Bumped? appeared first on SmarterTravel.

If you have flexible travel plans, an oversold flight could be good news for you—the airline will start by asking for volunteers and offering cash or vouchers to anyone willing to give up their seat. If there are no takers initially, the rewards can get quite high.

However, if no one volunteers to take another flight, the airline can involuntarily bump flyers—even though they have a valid ticket. To avoid this happening to you, consider flying with one of the airlines least likely to bump passengers.

To determine the airlines least and most likely to bump people off a flight, luggage storage site Bounce analyzed data from the US Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report for April through June 2022. Bounce calculated the rate of passengers denied boarding (including both voluntary and involuntary bumping) per 10,000 flyers.

The Airline That Bumped the Most Passengers

In April through June 2022, Endeavor Air bumped the most passengers. Endeavor Air is a regional airline and subsidiary of Delta Airlines that’s also known as Delta Connection. Endeavor Air denied boarding to 12.86 people per 10,000 passengers.

The Airline That Bumped the Most Passengers

Comparatively, Hawaiian Airlines bumped hardly any flyers over the same time period, denying boarding to just 0.56 passengers per 10,000.

What Happens if You’re Involuntarily Bumped From a Flight?

If you are involuntarily bumped from your flight, the airline will owe you big. Know your rights and what you are entitled to, so you can make sure you are compensated accordingly. 

According to the US Department of Transportation (DOT), “Passengers who are denied boarding involuntarily due to oversales are entitled to compensation that is based on the price of their ticket, the length of time that they are delayed in getting to their destination because of being denied boarding, and whether their flight is a domestic flight or an international flight leaving from the United States.”

The DOT has helpful charts on their website that can show you what you are owed based on the length of time your trip was delayed.

The post The Airlines Most Likely to Bump You off a Flight appeared first on SmarterTravel.

At 8:28 p.m. Universal Time Tuesday night, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Notice to Air Missions System (NOTAM) failed. This critical system flags potential hazards along a flight route or at an airport (such as closed runways or equipment outages). 

Following the failure, the FAA issued a ground stop for the entire United States, which halts all air traffic in and out of the country. Flights that were already in progress were able to land safely.

What Caused the NOATM Failure?

The cause of the system shutdown is still unknown. 

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary, tweeted “The President has been briefed by the Secretary of Transportation this morning on the FAA system outage. There is no evidence of a cyberattack at this point, but the President directed DOT to conduct a full investigation into the causes.”

What to Expect if You’re Flying Today

The FAA allowed flights to resume at Newark Liberty (EWR) and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) around 8:15 this morning, and lifted the overall nationwide ground stop shortly before 9 a.m. ET. Airlines are now dealing with a backlog of flights, so you can expect delays and cancellations to continue throughout the day. 

As of 9:50 a.m., flight tracking site Flight Aware was reporting 4,948 delays and 862 cancellations within, into, or out of the United States today.

Check your flight status before heading to the airport if you’re flying today. If your plans are flexible, many airlines are offering travel waivers to customers traveling today, allowing them to change to a different flight at no extra charge.

The post All US Flights Grounded Overnight appeared first on SmarterTravel.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) wants to change that, and has just launched a new interactive tool that helps passengers find out what they are owed for flight disruptions. The tool allows you to select the airline you’re flying on and see what that carrier has committed to for compensation for controllable cancellations and delays.

The tool will show if you’re entitled to any of the following:

• Free rebooking on a new flight by the same carrier
• Free rebooking on a new flight by another airline
• Meal or meal/cash voucher
• Complimentary hotel accommodations
• Free ground transportation to/from hotel

What Is a Controllable Flight Cancellation or Delay?

The tool will only show you what is offered for a controllable flight cancellation or delay. The DOT defines a controllable disruption as, “a delay or cancellation caused by the airline. Examples include: maintenance or crew problems; cabin cleaning; baggage loading; and fueling.”

If the delay or cancellation is caused by something out of the airline’s control, such as weather, these rights do not apply. 

However, DOT reminds flyers that they are entitled to a refund (not a voucher) if an airline cancels a flight or makes a significant schedule change, regardless of the reason. “Airlines are required to provide a prompt refund to a ticketed passenger, including those with non-refundable tickets, should the passenger choose not to accept the alternative offered, such as rebooking on another flight,” according to DOT. You can read more about your right to a refund here.

The post DOT Launches New Interactive Tool for Airline Passenger Rights appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Avoid flying on Fridays, when the number of canceled flights is at its highest. Additionally, AirHelp says, you’ll want to refrain from traveling between 4pm – 9:59pm, which is the time period that flights are most likely to be canceled (regardless of which day of the week it is).

If you want to have the best chance of an on-time arrival, try booking a flight on a Tuesday morning. Morning flights are less likely to be delayed or canceled because the aircraft and crew have generally arrived the night before. You can sometimes avoid weather issues by taking the first flight of the day as well—thunderstorms more commonly occur in the afternoon and evening during the spring and summer. 

Afternoon and evening flights are often delayed or canceled due to a cascading effect caused by disruptions to earlier flights—so taking the first flight of the day improves your chances. Plus, if you’re on the first flight of the day and it gets canceled, you’ll have more options to rebook and get out the same day compared to if you were on the last flight of the day.

Days of the Week With the Most Flight Cancellations 

1. Friday
2. Thursday
3. Wednesday
4. Saturday
5. Sunday
6. Monday
7. Tuesday

The post This is the Worst Day and Time to Fly appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Flight canceled? We’re groaning with you. 

American Airlines recently canceled hundreds of flights and is expected to cancel more this summer. Southwest has also canceled a slew of flights, causing passengers to miss work, vacations, and other important events. 

It’s stressful and expensive, especially if you have non-refundable accommodations, cruises, or other can’t-miss activities booked alongside your plane tickets.

We can help lessen the pain. If you know the right moves to make when your flight gets canceled, you can save yourself a lot of stress, money, and time.

Why Do Flights Get Canceled?

While the airline wants to get you to your destination on time, there are a lot of situations that are out of the airline’s control. Weather, mechanical issues, air traffic, staffing issues, and pandemics are hard to predict, resulting in occasional cancelations. 

What To Do If Your Flight Is Canceled Far in Advance of Departure

You’ll likely get an email about the change and be automatically rebooked. If the change looks good, you don’t need to do anything. However, if you don’t like the change, you can go online where you booked and find another flight that will fit your schedule. You can possibly get an even better flight when this happens as you can often switch to a more expensive flight (like one that leaves at a better time or is a nonstop) for no cost. 

What To Do If Your Flight Is Canceled at the Airport

With hundreds of other people suddenly in the same situation, you’ll want to act quickly as soon as you find out that your flight is canceled. Flight expert Scott Keyes of Scott’s Cheap Flights recently shared some strategies on the podcast All The Hacks for handling it like a pro.

1. Get in line as soon as possible. You may want to sit near the gate agent, just in case something happens. When you’re near, you can get rebooked first so you have the best chance at reaching your destination in a reasonable amount of time.

2. Call customer service while you’re in line. You may be able to get a customer service agent on the phone faster than the in-person agent can help you. 
3. Call customer service in another country, like Canada. If there’s a long wait to speak with customer service on the phone, look up the customer service number for another country, such as Canada or Singapore, and try that. 
4. Research other flight options on your phone. Being able to suggest a new flight to the booking agent can help get you on the next flight more quickly, not to mention save time so the agent can help more passengers. 

You may also want to ask the agent if they can place you on a flight from a different airline, or try rebooking yourself in the airline’s app.

What Should You Expect From the Airline? Do You Get Compensated for a Canceled Flight?

The U.S. Department of Transportation has laws regarding air travel. Knowing your rights can be invaluable if your flight gets canceled. 

Getting Rebooked

If your flight is cancelled, most airlines will try to rebook you for free on the next flight. In many cases, this will happen automatically. 

Cash Refund

If the airline cancels your flight, you are eligible for a cash refund for the price of your ticket if you choose not to be rebooked, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. You do not have to accept a voucher in lieu of a refund. However, you’re not entitled to compensation above what you paid for the ticket like you would be if you were bumped on a flight. 

Hotel and Meals

Some airlines provide hotels or meals to stranded passengers. Others do not, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to ask. Know you’re more likely to get this benefit if you’re booked in a premium class seat.

Other Costs

If you miss your cruise, concert, sporting event, or hotel reservation, the airline does not have to compensate you for it. It just sucks.  

Flying Internationally

Keep in mind if you’re flying from another country, the laws will be different. For example, if your flight was delayed more than three hours in the European Union, you may be able to claim 600€ per person. 

The post What To Do If Your Flight Gets Canceled appeared first on SmarterTravel.

As experts and media spokespeople, the editors at SmarterTravel get asked a lot of travel questions. How early should you book? Which booking sites have the cheapest fares? What’s the best way to avoid bag fees?

The good news is that we have answers. From pinpointing the best day of the week for booking airfare to selecting the best destination for your next trip, here are solutions to some of your most common travel questions.

How Far in Advance Should I Book?

Truth be told, airfare prices—which fluctuate constantly—are impossible to predict. However, there are a few strategies that will guide you to a good deal and minimize your risk of overpaying.

For domestic travel, you’ll typically find the best fares one to two months before your trip. For international itineraries, you’ll often want to start searching for fares a bit further in advance, especially if your dates are firm or you’re traveling at a busy time of year. Add an extra month or two for peak travel times like holidays or major events. Some destinations, such as Disney World during spring break or popular beach spots in August, require even more advance planning, so do your homework.

To help you figure out when to jump on a fare, set up airfare alerts through sites like Airfarewatchdog (SmarterTravel’s sister site) or smartphone apps like Hopper (iOS | Android). You can put in your targeted trip dates and itinerary, and you’ll be notified when the fare drops.

How Can I Find the Best Travel Deal?

We’d love to point you definitively to a single booking site that always has the lowest possible airfares and hotel rates, but, unfortunately, that site doesn’t exist—and shopping around is always required. It’s best to check multiple types of sites before you book, including the provider’s own website as well as online travel agencies (think Expedia and Orbitz) and metasearch sites (like Kayak and SmarterTravel’s parent company, TripAdvisor).

To help you find the best sites to check, see the following lists:

• The 12 Best Flight Search Sites for Booking Cheap Airfare
• The 10 Best Hotel Booking Sites
• The 14 Best Car Rental Booking Sites
• The 10 Best Sites to Book a Cruise
• The 8 Best Travel Package Sites for Booking a Cheap Vacation
• The 9 Best Vacation Rental Sites for Travelers

One tip to keep in mind: The more flexible you are, the better the deals will be. Moving your trip a few months from a destination’s peak season to its shoulder season, for example, often means lower prices and smaller crowds. Flying out on a Tuesday or Wednesday rather than a Friday or Sunday can also save you money. For more information, see The Best and Worst Days to Fly.

How Can I Avoid Fees?

Yes, travel fees are pervasive and have wormed their way into every facet of travel, including flights, hotels, and rental cars. The good news is that many can be avoided. When it comes to flying, look for airlines that don’t charge fees for common services like baggage: For example, Southwest allows two checked bags for free, and some airlines will waive bag fees for frequent flyers or travelers who carry their branded credit cards. For more ideas, see 7 Smart Ways to Bypass Baggage Fees.

Many hotel fees can be avoided if you simply say no to certain services. In other words, don’t touch the minibar or make in-room calls (buy your own snacks and use your cell phone instead). Other charges, such as resort fees, are trickier. It’s best to find out about the charge in advance and book with another hotel, or ask the hotel manager to remove it—he or she might say no, but it never hurts to ask.

When renting a car, read the fine print. Look for easily avoidable fees like early-return and fuel charges. Also, most agents will pressure you into buying a collision damage waiver (CDW), but you might already have collision coverage through your credit card or your own auto insurance policy. Always check in advance.

What Are My Rights When Your Flight Is Delayed or Canceled?

When you find yourself faced with a flight delay or cancellation, know that your rights vary depending on whether the situation is the airline’s fault (such as a mechanical delay) or due to some uncontrollable outside force (like a hurricane or winter storm). Every airline’s policy varies, but most state that for delays or cancellations within the airline’s control, passengers are entitled to be rebooked on the next available flight, possibly transferred to another carrier, or to receive a refund for the unused portion of the trip. Some lines will also provide meal vouchers, hotel stays, and ground transportation at their discretion.

When the situation is beyond the airline’s control, a refund is all that most airlines promise. However, for major storms, airlines have set a precedent for preemptively canceling flights in advance so you’re not stranded at the airport, and they will allow you to rebook within a specific time frame without penalty.

To learn more, see Flight-Cancellation Rights: The Ultimate Guide and Flight Delays: What to Do and How to Prevent Them.

Do I Need Travel Insurance?

To buy or not to buy: That is the question when it comes to travel insurance. It all depends on risk and your tolerance for it. In general, if you’re taking a relatively short trip and haven’t paid a fortune for it, you probably don’t need it. Plus, most airlines—and hotels, for that matter—will give you a refund or allow you to rebook when there’s a widespread storm or incident.

However, if you have put down significant nonrefundable deposits, are traveling at a risky time of year (such as hurricane season), have a potential medical condition, or are traveling to remote places where hospitals are scarce, travel insurance could be a good idea.

If you do opt insurance, make sure you know what’s included in your policy; most are very specific and won’t allow coverage to kick in once a storm is predicted or if you have a preexisting medical condition. You can also buy a policy that will allow you to cancel for any reason, but those usually come with a higher premium.

How Do I Know When a Deal Is Really a Deal?

Sadly, not all travel deals are created equal. And while some are bona fide, others are nothing more than gimmicks, if not downright scams. Your best defense is to take the time to fully research a deal before handing over your credit card number.

First, make sure you’re dealing with a reputable supplier, especially when it comes to tour operators and promoters. If you haven’t heard of the company, check with the Better Business Bureau or United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) to make sure it is sound. Look for online reviews of the company on sites such as TripAdvisor or TrustPilot. Also, always compare prices across multiple suppliers. A deal might look good at first glance, but you may be able to beat the price elsewhere.

When it comes to hotel packages, price out inclusions like gift baskets or spa services separately to determine whether it’s cheaper to go a la carte. For example, many hotels offer individual room rates that are way cheaper than what you’d pay for the room plus the extras in a package. Remember: You can bring your own Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries (likely higher-quality ones, too).

Lastly, always read the fine print, with a particular eye on blackout dates and other restrictions. You don’t want to get a deal that you can’t even use.

How Do I Score an Upgrade?

Everyone wants to vault to the front of the airplane cabin or that penthouse suite in the hotel, but most of us feel that an upgrade is out of reach. Not necessarily so. The best way to get upgraded is to join a loyalty program. While it’s hard for many leisure travelers to accrue enough miles for a free first- or business-class ticket, basic upgrades usually require fewer miles. For hotels and rental cars, points generally add up more quickly and you can get additional free perks just for being a member.

Another way to land a better seat is to look for deals; some airlines will launch short-term sales on premium seats. For more information, see First Class for Free: How to Get an Airline Upgrade.

With hotels, arriving late in the day can increase your chances of a better room, since the hotel might have vacant rooms to fill (and can subsequently open up a cheaper room for another paying customer). Also, at check-in, mention if you are celebrating a special occasion like a honeymoon or an anniversary. Check out How to Get a Hotel Upgrade for Free to learn more.

At the rental car desk, asking for an upgrade might work, but make sure you’ve weighed your options: A larger car could mean higher gas costs, which can quickly negate any benefit. In any situation, even with the airlines, it never hurts to ask; when you do, dress nicely, be specific with your request, and above all, be polite.

What Can I Bring on the Plane?

This is such a complicated topic that SmarterTravel has a whole airport security FAQ to cover it. But here are the basics: In your carry-on, you can bring a single clear, quart-size plastic bag of liquid and gel items (such as shampoo, insect repellent, and sunscreen) in bottles of 3.4 ounces or less. If you need to bring larger quantities, you can put them in your checked bag—just make sure they’re well sealed to prevent messy spills. Exceptions to this rule include prescription medications, breast milk, and baby formula, which you can carry on in larger amounts.

The TSA has strict rules for items such as scissors, razors, sharp objects, and even wrapped gifts. To learn more, see the FAQ above or visit the TSA’s website.

What Should I Pack?

Speaking of complicated topics … where do we begin? Of course, the answer depends on where you’re going and for how long, but you’ll want to start with SmarterTravel’s Ultimate Packing List, which has you covered with the basics you’ll need for just about any type of trip. If you want more specific advice, consider these lists:

• The Essential Beach Packing List
• The Essential Carry-on Bag Packing List
• The Ultimate Holiday Packing List
• The Ultimate Cruise Packing List
• The Essential International Packing List
• How to Pack for an African Safari
• The Ultimate Ski Trip Packing List

You’ll also want to check out Ingenious Packing Tips Every Traveler Should Know, which includes information on how to pack for the TSA’s requirements, tips on saving space, a discussion of whether you should roll or fold your clothes, and clever tips from SmarterTravel readers. Trying to avoid overpacking? See A Traveler’s Guide to Minimalist Packing.

I’m Unhappy with My Seatmate(s) on the Plane. What Can I Do?

SmarterTravel readers often write in with travel questions about airplane seating dilemmas. “I have severe allergies to animals. What are my rights if I am sitting by someone with an animal?” asks one reader.

“I was recently seated next to a large person whose body overhung the armrest and crowded me,” writes another. “What can be done in this situation?”

Generally speaking, your best bet is to approach a flight attendant discreetly and ask if there are any available seats to which you could be moved. In the case of animal allergies, even if no seats are free, the airline staff might be able to find a non-allergic passenger who’s willing to switch with you. Bring up your concerns early—because once the plane has taken off, the flight attendants will have much less flexibility.

For more information, see the following resources:

• What You Need to Know About Flying with a Service or Emotional Support Animal
• Airline Passenger of Size Policies

What Are the Best Travel Destinations, and How Do I Know If They’re Safe?

There’s no single right answer to the first part of this question. It really depends on factors like your personal travel style and when you plan to travel. But there are a few tricks to identifying a great hot spot.

If affordability is a priority, look for destinations with new airline routes or hotels; providers will often release introductory rates at a discount, and you can be among the first to check things out. Additionally, keep an eye out for destinations making a comeback from natural disasters or political unrest; it can take time for tourists to return, even after the place is safe and open for business again, and the low demand can mean great deals for those who are willing to visit.

If you want to go where the excitement is, look for locales with big events, such as major sporting competitions, festivals, and museum openings. Check with the local tourism bureau to see what’s on; you might even stumble upon corresponding deals and packages.

SmarterTravel frequently publishes inspirational lists of places to travel for just about every interest. Check out Top Travel Destinations for 2020 or browse the site’s Destinations section to learn more.

As for safety, your first step is to research your destination on the U.S. State Department’s website. Here you’ll find important travel advisories and information about crime, health concerns, and other safety issues for every country around the world. Pay attention to the details before writing off an entire destination; it may be perfectly safe as long as you steer clear of certain problem areas. Keep an eye on news headlines in the lead-up to your trip so you’re aware of any last-minute issues.

If you have specific concerns, consider posting questions on travel forums such as TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet. Destination experts and locals can often offer up-to-the-minute updates from the ground.

More from SmarterTravel:

• Ultralight Travel: How to Pack Light Every Time
• 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Booking a Flight
• The Worst Seats on a Plane (and How to Avoid Them)

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2012. It has been updated to reflect the most current information. Anne Banas and Sarah Schlichter contributed to this story.

The post Your 11 Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions—Answered appeared first on SmarterTravel.