As an exasperated me said in our family group chat this week: I don’t recommend flying at the moment if you can avoid it. Between unpredictable spring weather and nationwide airline staffing issues, getting from Point A to Point B feels like an extreme sport.
However, if you simply cannot avoid it and do find yourself stranded, knowing your DOT refund rights and understanding exactly how your credit card’s trip delay insurance works can save your sanity… and your wallet.
If you are up to date on your Off Script newsletters, you know that I spent a warm and delicious couple of weeks in the desert as part of the BNP Paribas Open Radio team, informing fans not only about the tennis, but the wide variety of food, drinks, and activities around the grounds in what they lovingly call “Tennis Paradise.”
After Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner raised their Baccarat trophies, it was time for me to get home to my own little paradise: Justin, our 1.5 acres on the North Fork, and all of the little comforts of home.
But the friendly skies weren’t so friendly to my hopes and dreams of a crackling fire. Due to a massive East Coast storm, I received notice the night before my scheduled departure that my flight to Atlanta the next afternoon (March 16) was completely canceled. As you might imagine, there aren’t a whole lot of options out of the Palm Springs airport, so I decided to rebook the exact same itinerary for the following day and spend another night with my very generous “host family.”
Tuesday, March 17th finally rolled around. Sure enough, I started getting texts from Delta that my new Atlanta flight was delayed, right as I was watching videos of four-hour TSA lines at ATL flash across my Instagram feed. By the second delay alert, I knew I wouldn’t make my connection to LGA, which only had a 47-minute layover built in. I frantically searched the app for alternatives, but nothing was available until the next day. I was simultaneously messaging my friend Michelle Yu, who also worked the tournament but had wisely flown out the day prior on the only direct Alaska Airlines flight, which eventually took off after a 4-hour delay. Desperate to get home, I dropped $565 (plus a $35 bag fee, because: not Delta) for a one-way ticket out of there on Alaska.
Well, sort of. I legitimately started crying tears of relief as I boarded the plane, but my celebration was a tad premature. We ended up sitting on the tarmac for 90 minutes waiting for air traffic control to give us the go-ahead for takeoff. Had we waited much longer, we would have had to return to the gate for more fuel. Because we burned so much gas just sitting there, the pilots couldn’t make up any time in the air. We were late, but at least we arrived.
Meanwhile, my original Delta flight out of Atlanta ended up getting severely delayed and ultimately canceled! I am so glad I trusted my gut on that one. Yes, I was out some cash for the Alaska flight, but the original Delta itinerary was booked with SkyMiles, which were refunded immediately, along with the small fee I had paid.
Like I said, I wouldn’t recommend traveling at the moment. But if you do happen to find yourself in one of these predicaments, it’s important to know your rights (and your credit card perks!)
Know Your Rights: Whose Fault is It
Under DOT rules, if your flight is canceled or significantly delayed and you choose not to travel on the airline’s alternative options, you are entitled to a full, automatic refund to your original form of payment—regardless of the reason for the delay. This is likely why I received my miles and fee back so seamlessly. I also continued to receive texts about my old flight and saw that Delta was giving out hotel and meal vouchers, which means that second cancellation was definitely deemed a “controllable” delay.
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Weather (Uncontrollable): Airlines generally don’t have to cover your secondary expenses like hotels or meals. You’re usually on your own.
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Airline Fault (Controllable): If the delay is due to maintenance or staffing, airlines will often provide meal and hotel vouchers.
To learn more, The Points Guy’s breakdown of flight cancellation rights is incredibly helpful. I also highly recommend bookmarking the DOT’s flightrights.gov dashboard to see exactly what each airline guarantees.
The Magic of Travel Credit Cards (and My One Slight Regret)
I still need to do a full review of my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, but I truly believe it’s one of the best travel cards out there, even with the new higher fee. One of the main reasons is its extensive trip delay and cancellation insurance. (Sadly, it applies only to common carrier breakdowns, not our Audi.)
However, it’s not my only points card. I also have a Delta Amex Platinum card, which I use to book all my Delta flights to take advantage of perks like free bags, a companion pass, and a discount on the miles needed to book. Because travel was part of my total fee for working the tournament, I booked this trip using SkyMiles and paid the small taxes and fees ($5.60) with my Amex.
So, which card would’ve been better in this situation? (And more importantly, could I have gotten Amex to pay for my new Alaska flight or my extra 24 hours in the desert?)
First things first: neither of these premium credit cards will reimburse you for a brand-new flight on a different airline when your original plans go south. Travel insurance generally covers non-refundable prepaid costs (which didn’t apply here since Delta refunded my miles and fees) or out-of-pocket survival expenses while you wait.
But what about the 24-hour delay itself? This is where the fine print gets you. My original flight on the 16th was canceled, and I wasn’t going to get out until the 17th. Technically, that easily clears the delay requirements for both cards: Chase Sapphire Reserve’s superior delay insurance kicks in after just 6 hours (for up to $500), and the Delta Amex Platinum kicks in after 12 hours (for up to $300).
Here is the catch: Trip Delay insurance only reimburses you for actual out-of-pocket expenses incurred during the wait, like hotel rooms, meals, toiletries, or an Uber. Because I was lucky enough to spend that extra night with my generous host family, I didn’t have a massive hotel bill to claim. I did buy a couple of meals during the delay, but because I wasn’t thinking about it, I used my Chase card instead of the American Express. Amex’s official rules state you must put those delay expenses on the same card you used to book the flight to get reimbursed.
While I’ve since learned that the insurance adjusters will sometimes bend this rule if you provide the receipts from a different card, the golden rule of travel delays is this: the second your flight is delayed past your card’s threshold, start putting your food and hotel expenses on the exact same card you used to book the flight to guarantee a smooth reimbursement process.
If you have a Chase card, be sure to check out The Points Guy’s guide on Chase’s trip insurance coverage to see what safety nets you might have sitting in your wallet.
Pro-Tips for Surviving the Airport
If you do happen to find yourself facing massive delays or getting stuck in an airport, here are some of my tried-and-true tips for making it out somewhat sane:
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Skip the boards: Rely on the airline’s app for the most up-to-date information and options for changing your flight. But don’t be afraid to simultaneously wait on hold to get a live agent—I’ve noticed they often have access to more rebooking inventory than the app does.
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Always bring snacks: At the very least, a bag of dried fruit and nuts will get me through the darkest of times. On Michelle’s suggestion, I also ordered the Mediterranean tapas on the Alaska flight and it was pretty decent for $8.75, but never bank on an airline having whatever you’re eyeing in stock by the time the cart gets to your row.
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Kill them with kindness: Be nice to the airport staff, and especially the gate agents. You think you’re grumpy? They’re dealing with a hundred of you a day. A smile and a little patience go a long way. I was stuck with a middle seat on my Alaska flight, and it was too early in the process for the agent to switch me to a window. Later, when they asked for volunteers to check their roller bags, I was the first to surrender mine. It was honestly no biggie to me since I already had a checked bag, but it helped them out immensely. Well, guess who ended up with a window seat shortly thereafter? Just saying… you catch more flies with honey.
While we can’t always control the weather or the TSA lines, we can control how prepared we are. What are your biggest tips when things don’t go according to plan?
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