8 Ways To Avoid Holiday Flight Problems

1.Getting Bumped According to the U.S. Dept Of Transportation, if you're bumped involuntarily from a flight and you arrive between one and two hours late, you can collect up to $200 of a one way fare from your airline. 2. Invoke Rule 240 When an airline can't get you to where you want to go, and its their fault, Rule 240 says that the airline must pay for your flight on another carrier. 3 Beat Long Lines If your flight has been cancelled, forget about mobbing the gate with the other passengers. You can go to any one of your airlines other gates to cancel or confirm your new reservation. 4. Fly Early Flights between 6am and 7am have a 90% departure rate. But flights booked between 8 and 9pm have a 55% chance of being delayed. 5. Free Tickets If you give up your seat on an overbooked flight, airlines try to offer you a free space available standby ticket. You should refuse and ask for a confirmed round trip ticket that guarantees you an actual seat. 6. Cash In On Lost Luggage About 98% of all lost luggage is returned within a few hours. But if your bag turns up lost, make sure you inflate the dollar value of your bag contents by 30%. That's because airline depreciate the value estimate you give them by 30%. 7. Easy Check In If you haven't been assigned a seat, check in by phone or internet 24 hours before the flight. Some roomier seats like the exit rows are not assigned until the day of flight. 8. Wait In Comfort If you're flight is delayed, you should head straight for the arrival area. There, you'll find bigger seats to relax and more conveniences.