7 Lifesaving Travel Lessons Learned from Sandy
Stranded by Sandy
Negotiate for Solutions With Your Airline
Purchase Appopriate Travel Insurance
Use a Top Tier Travel Agent
During the peak of Sandy’s force, the nation’s best travel agents were working around the clock to rebook and save travelers who found themselves stranded. They even worked well into the week following the whole Sandy fiasco. The necessity for such travel agents is one of the reasons many of our Limousine Clients use such powerful firms as Altour, Protravel International, and Valerie Wilson Travel. These are agencies that possess their own rate desks and have quite a bit of clout with the airlines.
Use an Executive Air Travel Concierge
Find Out Alternate Seat Availability-FAST!
Scores of travelers who decided to phone their airlines during the whole sandy mess were put on hold for hours…and more often than not they did not get the help they required. The only real data an airline agent gives you is what is displayed on their computers. This info can offer an incomplete picture during times of natural disaster or unusual circumstance. There are, however some recently available tools out there for you. These can help you direct the airline agent exactly where and what to look for. One of the most popular free tools is FlightStats. Sign up, Log in and navigate to the “Flights” drop-down menu, select “Flight Availability” and you can find the seats you need on flights out of the airport where you’re stuck.
Call An Airline’s Overseas Reservation Number
As major airlines grounded thousands of flights, numerous business travelers were unable to reach a human being by phone (even at the airline’s elite desk); others were automatically rerouted on alternative flights that had already been cancelled. When an airline’s U.S. phone lines are busy, try calling in to the flight company’s desk abroad—for example in London or Frankfurt. United airlines, for example, provides these contact numbers for its reservations agents in Europe. (Don’t forget to dial in Using Skype-much cheaper)!
Get Techy With It
Try posting a Twitter update and concerns regarding any itinerary changes or rebooking needs. When you do this make sure that you mention the twitter handle of the airline you’re using. There are times when this can produce a speedy response from customer service rather than just trying to call it in. If you do try this, be aware it’s not a guaranty of moving forward with your route.