As we have been digging out of COVID, travel has been on the rise. Lately, I have been traveling more for work, the blog/podcast, and personal vacation. Unfortunately, one recurring issue that continues to plague our travel is the lack of effective communication between airlines and us passengers. Flight delays and cancellations are common occurrences. But airlines often fail to inform their customers adequately about these changes. Passengers are left in a state of uncertainty, unaware of the reasons behind the disruptions or when they can expect their flights to resume. This state of uncertainty leaves lawyers who are already stressed when traveling for work with even more anxiety.

My wife and I are still in the process of returning home from Canada to the United States. We are flying from Halifax to DC through Toronto. Our flight was to leave on Friday at 3:30 PM EST, with Boarding at 3 PM. We did not receive any notice at 3 PM when we were not called to board. Around 3:20ish (minutes before we were supposed to take off), we were informed that there would be an hour's delay. Not a problem, I went back to a table where I unpacked my bag (as I had packed up anticipating being called to board) and set up to do some work. Not five minutes had passed when we were then called to board? I looked at my wife, thinking I was going crazy! 😳 (She assured me I was not. 🙃). But this gave me pause to think this would not be an easy flight back. 🧐

We boarded the plane and settled in. After a notable amount of time had passed, we were informed our flight was being delayed again. I looked at FAA.gov. There was a ground stop in the northeast, including Washington, DC, until 4:30 PM. I waited until 4:31 PM to refresh the site and discovered that the ground stop was pushed back to 6 PM. After several minutes with no information from the pilot, I alerted a steward of the 6 PM ground stop and that we should be let off the plane. He said he would inform the captain but that the captain was waiting from the tower for information from the U.S.

Several minutes pass when the pilot announces that he will have an update at 5 PM. My wife and I looked at each other and agreed this was bullshi!, given the information we had from FAA. Several more minutes passed when we were then informed that our flight was canceled!

We exit the plane into the airport. There is an announcement that we should all stand by. The airline’s system was “calculating” our rebooking. Once we were rebooked, we could then go to customer service. I look at the departure screen. There are no more flights to the DC metro area (either nonexistent or canceled [due to the weather]). We needed to know when our flight is to be rescheduled, do we need to get a hotel (or will the airline provide one, let alone [partly] pay for one while we find one on our own), where are luggage is, and if we are better off finding alternative ways home – car rental, bus, train. But with no information forthcoming, we were stressed to ensure we had a roof over our heads for the night.

We get an instant message informing us that our flight was canceled and rebooked for that morning – let me say that again. It rebooked for an earlier flight that had long ago left. We get in the customer service line recognizing that there is a problem. It’s going to be stressful and tense for a while. 

While in line, the airline rebooked us three days later (from Friday afternoon to Monday morning). One hurdle was met, but other questions are highlighted. Do we need to get a hotel room? Who is going to pay? Where is our luggage – how do we get it?

The line is long for customer service. I grab a chair to drag along and sit while trying to wait patiently for our turn. There are some events in town this weekend, so I was concerned about finding a hotel. And given more weather events, I was not sure we’d actually leave on Monday morning (post editorial note: in the following days, there were more delays due to weather [thank you, global climate change - sarcasm). So, what should we do next?!

While in line, I have my wife work on getting us a hotel room for the next several days. I looked at Travelocity to compare car rentals (a drive from Toronto to DC is over nine hours, but there was some issue about renting a car from Canada to the US), Grayhound, and Amtrak. The train was booked for a couple of days (and it would take us 23 hours). The bus would take about just as long. Meanwhile, the airline’s website provides no actionable or helpful information. I’m on hold with the airline’s toll-free number indefinitely. Useless, Useless, Useless! STRESSFUL, STRESSFUL, STRESSFUL!

We finally made it to a customer service agent. She was very pleasant and informed us we could pick up our bags at baggage and that they would cover a portion of our hotel. Instead of stressing out in a long line, they could have simply informed us in a text or email this information. The lack of transparency not only leads to frustration but also hinders passengers from making alternative arrangements or managing their travel plans effectively.

We got everything coordinated. Found a hotel and had a pleasant mini vacation within our vacation! But the stress was not needed. Thankfully, I had access to my office. And was keeping tabs on work. (I can only imagine the days before the internet was so ingrained in our workplace!).

There is a plethora of information on the world wide web. The airlines being the expert in airline travel issues need to coordinate better its information related to travel and travel interruptions. There is no reason why this information cannot be gathered, assessed, and quickly feed to their customers. Airlines can use platforms like Facebook and other social media to disseminate real-time updates regarding flight delays, cancellations, or gate changes. This not only helps passengers stay informed but also allows airlines to be proactive and address any concerns or questions passengers may have. Moreover, social media provides an opportunity for personalized communication with passengers. Airlines can respond directly to inquiries and provide individualized assistance promptly. But right now, airlines are falling short.

Meanwhile, lawyers (and everyone else!) take note of some of the proactive steps you can take from my own journey while waiting for your airline to give you their options.

MTC

Happy Travels and Happy Lawyering!!!