<p>I'm sure this has been discussed on the parent's forum but I can't find it - I'd be happy for a link. Then again, I'm sure it is a subject that many with first kids out of the nest are thinking about. Also, information may be different today than it was a few years or even months ago. So I think it is worth a new thread.</p>
<p>We fly as a family once or twice a year - and have never been bumped, stranded, or had to deal with a canceled flight. I've heard that airlines are not very helpful rearranging and getting their passengers to their destinations. Given that S1 wants to go to school out of state, possibly in a place that has snow (we are in SoCal, so no white stuff here) - how do you advise/handle it when you kid calls from a distant airport with 'Dad....they bumped/canceled/etc. me!' Not all kids can be persistent or able to deal with indifferent adults (my S2 wouldn't have that problem, S1 is polite). </p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any and all advice. We don't belong to any airline clubs or frequent flyer plans....but I'm willing to consider it if it affords a bit of hand-holding.</p>
<p>(FWIW we travel with carry-ons ONLY - 'checked' luggage is 'lost' luggage - otherwise, we would bring a set of clothes in a carry-on just in case luggage is delayed)</p>
<p>I’m a student, but my parents and I have been dealing with this situation for almost a year now! I am originally from Northern California (San Francisco), and go to school in Pittsburgh. No relatives around Pittsburgh or anything, so I’ve really been on my own.</p>
<p>One big piece of advice - never book the last flight of the day! That is something I have been very careful not to do, and there has been one time where I had the second to last flight, there were problems, and I luckily got onto the last flight of the day. If you can have a few flights to the same destination after you, I find it very reassuring.</p>
<p>Another tip - if you have to make a connection every time like I do (no direct flights from SF to Pittsburgh), think carefully about where you’re going through. I often had the option to connect through O’Hare, but always avoided doing so since they’re notorious for delays/issues. I always try to connect through a place without snow (usually Phoenix/Vegas/somewhere in the southeastern US for me). I figured that if I’m heading to a place with snow, might as well minimize weather-related delays by connecting through somewhere with milder weather.</p>
<p>There is zero reason not to join any of the frequent flyer clubs for airlines your son expects to fly on. It doesn’t cost anything.</p>
<p>You are very correct not to travel with checked baggage. Checked bags are for amateurs IMO. For a big move-in, sure, but for a student coming home for Thanksgiving, etc. there’s no reason not to go with carry-on.</p>
<p>The big thing is that if there is a rebooking issue, while waiting in whatever line, the student needs to call the airline simultaneously - they may get through faster. I’ve been in situations where I’ve been on a plane (on the tarmac), there’s been a problem and they’re cancelling the flight, and by the time they pull back to the gate, I’ve already been rebooked and am so ahead of all of the people who are sitting there waiting and aren’t doing anything about it. Proactivity is the key word, along with asking for supervisors and ALWAYS being super nice and sweet.</p>
<p>My D is a junior from N. Cal living in Durham,NC. She has shed some tears, and texted some profanity, but has learned to handle it. Had the nerve to be demanding (which she previously reserved for me…) after managing to miss 2 flights, one of which left 5 minutes before scheduled, and she wasn’t there. She has even managed to get “bumped” to first class!</p>
<p>Once they make friends at school, it may also give you peace of mind to fly them home through a city where a good friend or roommate lives so that if they do get stuck overnight- there is someone they know in that city and a family that may take them in for a night (also works if you have a relative in a connecting city)! There are no direct flights from where our oldest goes to college to where we live and we also avoid notorious snow delay cities for connections (Denver, Chicago) in the winter.</p>
<p>I would say make sure your child always joins the frequent flyer clubs before they fly. The airlines put those members to the front of the line on standby flights.</p>
I’m not sure the FF clubs buy you much because they’re free to join and almost everyone belongs. You might be thinking of the particular airline clubs, like the American Airlines Admirals club or the United Airlines Red Carpet club. These clubs have lounges in many airports that have their own check-in desk and are geared towards frequent business travelers - the ones who the airlines tend to make a profit from. They’re less hectic, quieter, and nicer places to wait for a flight.</p>
<p>These clubs can sometimes help out in the event of a cancellation or other issues since their staff is pretty experienced as are the fellow travelers. If your kid will be frequently traveling routes serviced by a club on which airline they’re traveling, it mught be worth the cost (they’re not free).</p>
<p>Other tips - don’t scream and yell at the counter people - it’s not their fault that a snowstorm hit or something went wrong with the plane. You need something from them so it’s best to be reasonable and friendly with them - especially in the hectic times.</p>
<p>Avoid connecting flights as much as possible and if you need to make a connection, see if it can be through a city not so prone to weather related issues as a previous poster indicated.</p>
<p>Be aware of other flights from that airline as well as others that could get you to the destination. Ideally have a list with you.</p>
<p>Sometimes, perhaps while waiting in line to deal with a cancelled flight, you’re better off calling the airline and re-scheduling that way - it can sometimes be faster than waiting in line.</p>
<p>If the airline can’t come up with some reasonable alternative and you know there’s another airline that flies where you want to go, firmly suggest they book you on that other airline. Sometimes this works, sometimes not.</p>
<p>Become the friend of the airline, airport, and independent flight information websites. Check repeatedly to see whether a flight is on-time and if you sense a possible delay, figure out some alternatives immediately. Make sure that your child has reliable transportation to the airport. We have dealt with cancelled flights; a flight that my daughter missed because the classmate who was driving didn’t know that you have to check in at least 30 minutes before a flight; and a connecting flight that was in danger of being delayed so long that we took the chance on rebooking and drove our daughter 80 miles to another airport. In all cases, we were helped by airline employees, although for the weather-related occurrences, it took a long time to get through to the airline. With the delayed flight, there was no one in line, the ticket agent immediately suggested that we drive to the other airport, and I decided to take a leap of faith and trust that we could make it there in a little more than an hour. My kids have become comfortable flying alone but they do have a problem getting out the door to get to the airport. I’m on pins and needles on travel days!</p>
<p>In this world of cell phone communication and the internet, I am not too worried about problems that arise as my kids travel alone. I do stay in constant contact. We can monitor flight status from afar. My boys have traveled a good fair bit by themselves (16 year old took a solo trip last week that was shuttle, checking in, two flights, and four train rides to get to a college visit.) We can do internet banking and add unlimited funds onto their debit cards instantly. One problem is that most hotels would not let a minor rent a room, so if stranded overnight the biggest thing that I could see them having to do is to spend a night sleeping in an airport, and that would certainly not be fatal. Airlines do the best they can by all their passengers, and they don’t want to leave a minor in the lurch. </p>
<p>As an example–my son goes to school in Michigan, and his girlfriend from UT decided to go visit him over break. On her way back, through O’Hare, she missed her flight due to her own inexperience. They could not get her out until the next day. Working through my son, we advised her to go to the airport police, and ask them for the safest place for a young lady to sleep the night. Their “protect the damsel/don’t get sued” instincts kicked in, and they found her a perfectly safe, if not entirely comfortable place to spend the night. Worked out fine, and she learned a lesson. But we were also pricing the nearby airport hotels to make sure that we had her back.</p>
<p>Now when my son got robbed at gunpoint in Ecuador last December, that was a different matter. Not so much I can do then, other than wire money to replace the lost belongings. But your basic domestic flight disruption is well within our ability to cope.</p>
<p>Kid hasn’t been bumped or had a flight cancelled yet… but she’s only a freshman.</p>
<p>I avoid as much trouble as possible by only booking direct flights. It means we have to drive to the major city airport on our end (instead of a slightly smaller and much more convenient airport we usually use) and sometimes we pay more, but avoiding the possibility of missed connections is worth it, IMHO. This way D can only be stranded near campus or at home.</p>
<p>Something that I do now that I have an iPhone and Macbook (and MobileMe account) is that I put all my traveling information in the ‘notes’ section of my calendar when I book any travel. </p>
<p>For instance, we are flying to see D2 next weekend, which includes not only a flight, but a car rental and hotel reservations. I enter all the flight information I’m given, including departure and arrival times, flight numbers, confirmation numbers, and the toll-free number to the airline we’re using. That way, at the tap of my iPhone screen, I can call the airline and I have the flight information as well as the confirmation number at my fingertips. With the car rental and hotel reservations, I also enter in the notes section, the confirmation number as well as the toll-free number to contact if needed. I do the same every time one of my kids flies home, too (put all the info in my phone), and I’ve been very grateful that information was available at my fingertips sometimes. When your kid has an issue with a flight and they call you, often times they don’t have the confirmation # and/or toll-free number on them (they could look it up on a computer if they have it with them, but then you’ve already given other passengers a leg up on contacting the airlines by looking it all up). </p>
<p>I’ve been stranded in a very bad situation before where I didn’t have this information readily available and I was so stressed out (we’d gotten into a car wreck on the way to the airport that totaled the rental car) and exhausted that I could hardly think straight. It would have been so much easier if I’d had all the information quickly available.</p>
<p>I agree that it is important not to book the last flight or a late flight of the day.</p>
<p>Try to book direct flights. (if the cost is not prohibitive)</p>
<p>If you have to book a flight with a stop, be careful where you route through. For instance if you are from the Northeast and traveling in the winter -don’t book additional stops where weather can be a factor.</p>
<p>Make sure that your son/daughter has a phone charger with them.</p>
<p>Make sure they have a combination of cash/debit/credit. </p>
<p>Make sure they have a printed copy of their itinerary and backup identification.</p>
<p>If they use medications make sure that they travel with a few extra days supply. Keep medications in carry on bag.</p>
<p>While traveling, keep an eye on the weather reports and switch flights early if necessary. If there is a weather advisory, the airlines should be able to accomplish this without an additional charge.</p>
<p>Haha, I remember flying from LAX to PIT in December and having the choice between a stopover in Las Vegas, Denver, or Chicago. Of course I chose Vegas. Where do you think they got an inch of snow that shut down the entire airport that day?! Thankfully I had put in the airline’s phone number on my cell phone earlier that day, and I was able to get an operator on the line before anyone else from my flight even made it to the desk to try and rebook. Got an early flight the following morning routed through Phoenix instead.</p>
<p>Also, try to find a particular airline you like and stick with it. Frequent flier programs are pointless if you fly on a different one every time. I always fly Southwest when I visit my parents (even if another airline is $10 cheaper on a $300 roundtrip) since I know I’m always flying on them and will rack up a free flight sooner than never.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Sign up for frequent flyer programs. Be aware of alliances and partnerships so that you only need one airline program per alliance if you want to collect mileage. If you get enough miles in a year, you gain status which can give you priority for rebooking. Even being a member with 0 miles may be higher status than not being a member in some situations.</p></li>
<li><p>Choose non-stop flights when possible. Avoid using the term “direct” when talking to airline or travel agents when you really mean non-stop, since “direct” simply means that the flight number is the same for all segments, and may even include a plane change (i.e. a connection that you can miss) at a stop.</p></li>
<li><p>Avoid connecting (or “direct” plane change) flights at airports known for delays. Some information can be found [url=<a href=“System Currently Unavailable | US Department of Transportation”>System Currently Unavailable | US Department of Transportation]here[/url</a>].</p></li>
<li><p>Avoid checking baggage when possible.</p></li>
<li><p>Keep phone numbers of airlines’ reservations in your cell phone.</p></li>
<li><p>For a connecting flight, look up what flights are available from your connecting airport to your destination, so that when you call the airline reservation to rebook after a problem, you know what the possible choices are. They may be reluctant to put you on a different airline’s flight (and won’t tell you if you don’t name a specific flight), but if you know of such, you may be able to get them to do that.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>If the connection is missed due to bad weather (or other causes beyond the airlines control), they will not pay for an overnight hotel room. They do give vouchers for the hotels for a reduced price ($59 last time I needed one) but you will need to be able to pay that amount. You will need to take a shuttle to the hotel, and in some cases (Denver comes to mind), the drive can be well over 30 minutes. Make sure to eat at the terminal prior to getting on the shuttle. Many hotels do not have food available on site and by late evening, any nearby restaurants are likely closed. </p></li>
<li><p>Avoiding the last flight out does not prevent getting stuck overnight. If the later flights are full, and these days they often are, you won’t be able to get a seat on the later flight. We ended up spending the night while the full flights took off without us then getting re-routed through another hub the next day adding a 1,000 miles to our trip. </p></li>
<li><p>They will generally not book you on other airlines if it is weather related. If mechanical, they are more likely to do so as they will have to pay for your expenses on the ground. </p></li>
<li><p>Keep a change of clothing, toiletries and other overnight necessities in the carry on.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Although frustrating, it will happen at some point. Expect it to happen and avoid getting too upset when it does and consider it an adventure :D.</p>
<p>All good advice here. We generally make sure the kids have enough cash to cover a hotel room if needed, make sure they understand when one of their flights has been cancelled to get in line immediately as well as get on their cell phone while they are in line, make sure they know to have their phone charger with them (and not in any checked luggage.) It’s happened numerous times to S1 over the years because he has to travel through ORD and at Christmas it is dicey with the weather. He’s survived and managed. My H (and I) have the attitude that if they are old enough to be that far away at college they are old enough to deal with the travel issues although we’ve taken our share of frantic phone calls telling us they aren’t “going to make it home today/tonight” etc.</p>
<p>lots of great advice, here’s some more from someone who travels 100K+ miles/yr:</p>
<ul>
<li>book the first flight of the day.</li>
<li>stick with non-stops. even if you need to drive an extra hour, your son will save that in connection time.</li>
<li>if you need to connect, look for a city where you may have friends that he can contact in the event of a cancellation. (don’t overlook Minneapolis connections - they are probably the best snowbelt city for air travel, but avoid Detroit! Chicago can be OK or a total s…show)</li>
<li>stick with one airline. i would suggest using the one that has a hub at the city your son will be near. a hub will have a few extra planes that can be substituted in the event of ‘mechanical difficulties’, plus they have more ground crew around to service problems.</li>
<li>get the credit card of that airline. you often get extra FF miles and 1-2 free checked bags for each flight. you may get a priority phone number in the event of problems. while you may not be at Elite FF status yet, you are the next class of customers they want to keep happy.<br></li>
<li>don’t check luggage!!! worth repeating. get a lightweight roller bag that will fit in the overhead. I can fit 10+ days of clothes in my bag. He doesn’t need to worry about the 3-1-1 liquid issues going to/from home, as he can get toiletries at home or buy them on campus. you can take an empty water bottle through security.</li>
<li>possibly give your son a credit card on your account that he can use for travel emergencies. you will need to know your son if you can trust that he won’t abuse this priviledge.</li>
</ul>
<p>I travel with, and we insist our kids travel with a short extension cord or a plug that converts one outlet to multiple outlets. (people are willing to “share” the outlet, but not willing to give it up) More than once I have been delayed in airports and and all the outlets are being used. Especially for a student, it is important to have a fully charged laptop/phone.</p>
<p>I joined <a href=“http://www.flightaware.com%5B/url%5D”>www.flightaware.com</a> (free) and found it is the best way to monitor flights. Many times their website is more current than the airline site.</p>