Travelers can get frustrated by flight cancellations caused by airline diversions, jet maintenance or bad weather. That can mean downtime as well as missed appointments and events.
Frustrating isn’t it?
For frequent flyers, even more frustrating is the loss of miles for elite status. Elite-status benefits make travel more enjoyable such as access to executive lounges, priority in booking and boarding, free checked luggage, late checkouts and room upgrades.
Even if you’re a longtime frequent flyer, it’s easy to forget about earned miles after reaching a trip destination. So, it’s important to monitor your account to discover missing miles.
A paper trail is key to get the correct amount of mileage. Keep documentation of both your original and changed flights.
Also, it’s a great idea to avoid surprises by taking a cursory look at your account at the end of the calendar year.
Precautions to take:
1. If you’re re-booked on the same airline and routing
Keep your boarding pass and ticket receipt until the miles are posted to your account. Make certain the posting is accurate.
2. If you’re re-booked on the same airline but with changes including a different city or a longer routing
Usually, you’ll earn the same number of redeemable miles contingent on the price of your ticket. Naturally, you’re allowed more elite miles if the flight is longer in distance.
Again, keep your boarding pass and ticket receipt, just in case. If the miles are posted incorrectly, you should follow up via email, telephone or even social media.
3. If the same airline re-books you on a shorter route
Remember you’ll most-likely be credited with miles on which you flew. Plus, remember ticket agents might not be aware you were rerouted until you bring it to their attention.
So, you can ask for credit of the original longer route via email, telephone or social media. This is another reason to make certain you retain your boarding pass and ticket receipt.
4. If your flight is diverted
Despite a flight change, you can still earn miles on your originally scheduled flight.
Again, keep your paperwork until after the airline permits you to deplane for another flight. Then, make your request mileage for the flight on which you flew.
5. If you’re re-booked on a different airline
With a travel change in order to arrive at your destination, an airline can book you on a different airline. Contact your airline and refer to your initial ticket receipt to obtain your original routing credit.
In some cases, you might be able to double-dip by earning miles on the second airline. It will depend on whether the airline has checks and balances to prevent double-dipping.
6. If the purpose of your flight is ruined when your itinerary is disrupted
Of course, you won’t earn miles if did not make the trip.
However, try this: You should get a refund for a delay or cancellation if the airline is responsible because of a maintenance issue or other cause.
If you’ve already started your flight and you have a scheduled layover or a two-flight itinerary, you can ask for a “trip in vain” status for disappointments such as missed funerals, weddings or meetings.
Of course, the airline will try to get you on another airline or give you a ground transport.
However, if these options aren’t feasible because they’re not timely solutions, then it’s possible to get a trip-in-vain response from the airline.
Since your trip is no longer helpful and the airline is at fault, a trip in vain would mean the airline would fly you back to your point of origin at its expense and refund the cost of your ticket.
Beware, some agents might know know how this works or be fully versed in their airline’s delay and cancellation policies, so be prepared to call an agent on the telephone to explain your situation.
Finally, even if you get a refund but if an airline is savvy in public relations, you’ll still get a mileage credit. And that would be a good reason to stay loyal to the airline.
From the Coach’s Corner, more travel tips:
Checklist for Productivity During a Flight Delay at an Airport — It’s frustrating to be stranded at an airport or in a hotel room from a flight delay caused by inclement weather or airline computer breakdowns. Here are 21 tips for productivity when you’re stranded.
You Will Save Money on Business Travel with these 25 Tips– Everybody loves luxuriating in a five-star hotel and flying first class. But if you want to save money, you don’t do either, right? Here’s what else you can do.
Before You Travel Abroad, Take 6 Financial Precautions Today – Whether you’re traveling to a foreign country for business or pleasure — there are at least six steps you should take. You need to do more than just making sure that your passport is current, planning your itinerary or deciding what to pack.
Finance Your Vacation with Credit Card Travel Reward Points – If you plan well, you can finance most of your family’s vacation with travel reward points. The trick is to learn all the ways you can earn points. This entails far more than just buying airline tickets or reserving a hotel room.
11 Travel Tips – Save Money, Prevent against Cyber Theft, Fraud – The most vulnerable travelers are people who have to use Internet and e-mail. They’re in danger expressly from vulnerabilities, such as from wirelessly accessible passports to using WIFI.
“In America there are two classes of travel — first class, and with children.”
-Robert Benchley
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