Be prepared for Murphy’s law
If you’re about to head out on a trip, you stand a good chance of avoiding any Murphy’s Law consequence: You’ll likely arrive frazzled, frustrated, fatigued, and a bit late — but you will arrive. Murphy’s is not suspended, however, so be ready for three big potential trouble spots.
Your departing flight is canceled:
When your airline cancels your flight for any reason, it owes you either a refund or a seat on its next available flight — only that and nothing more. If you opt for a refund, the airline owes you cash or a credit to your card. You can take a voucher if offered, but you don’t have to — and there disadvantages to a voucher, offset only if it’s for more than the amount owed.
If you want to keep going, you need a Plan B. But your options are not attractive. The airline’s next available flight might not be for several days.
You can ask your original airline to put you on another line. Some big lines will do this, but they don’t have to. If you can find a replacement seat on another line on your own, you’ll probably pay a stiff premium over the cost of your original ticket. And you have to make sure that your original line doesn’t cancel your return space. If your trip isn’t long, you can pile back into your car (or rent one) and drive to your destination.
You may be better off scrubbing the entire trip. In that case you have to take care to cancel any hotel, rental car or other reservations you hold immediately.
Your connecting flight is canceled:
If your ongoing flight from a connecting hub is canceled, you face the same basic options as above, with a few added complications. If your flight is canceled for a reason within an airline’s control, the airline owes you “care” until you can catch a flight. Most big airlines promise such care in the form of meals and overnight accommodation, if needed; low-fare lines typically do not. But don’t count on care. Airlines are very good at blaming almost any irregularity on weather or air traffic control. And if the airline isn’t to blame, all you get is the standard refund or next seat choice.
If you decide to accept that “next seat” option, and the airline doesn’t owe you care, you’re on your own if you need to stay overnight. Have Hotel Tonight or a similar app available.
If you decide to throw in the towel, most airlines will fly you back to your starting point at no extra cost. Only a few actually promise this, but others provide it, anyhow. As with any flight cancellation, you need to cancel any ongoing nonflight reservations.
Your destination hotel is full:
If you arrive at your destination late, or sometimes even if you’re on time, you may find that your first-night hotel has given out all its rooms with no space for you. If you’re really late, you may have missed a specified check-in time, in which case the hotel is free to sell your room to someone else. But a hotel can be full even if you arrive in time. If a hotel can’t honor a reservation, it’s in violation of a contract. But being in the right legally is no help when you get to a hotel desk late at night and the agent says, “Sorry.” Unfortunately, there are no federal or state laws that demand any specific recourse: The hotel may offer to find you a room at another spot, but no law requires any recourse. You’re back to Hotel Tonight.
Overall: You’ll probably be able to complete your trip. But be ready for Murphy, just in case.