What to do if your flight is delayed

The United States is now in the throes of what could be Busiest Labor Day travel time recorded.

Between August 29 and September 4, the Transportation Security Administration is expected to screen more than 17 million passengers. With so many moving parts and such high traffic — as much as we hate to tempt fate — the likelihood of delays and cancellations could be significantly higher.

If you find yourself stuck waiting for a long flight, there are a few things you need to know about flight delays before you leave. airport lounge to relieve your distress. Sometimes, you may even be financially compensated for your inconvenience.

Here’s what you should do if your flight is delayed.

Check with gate staff

It’s easy to catastrophize when your flight is delayed — especially if you think you’ll have a long wait before things return to normal.

Don’t rush to the airport lounge at the first opportunity, though. It may not always be the case, but when a flight is delayed, airlines often work very hard to get things back on track and avoid further consequences. As a result, the exact time of the flight delay can change at very short notice.

Before you go to the entertainment and settle in, take some time to chat with the gate agent. Ask about new flight times or when they expect to have further updates. They usually know what to expect and can tell you whether you have time to nap or should sit tight.

Don’t rely solely on the airport’s departure and arrival timetable as it is sometimes out of date. While it is usually accurate, you should get the latest flight departure information via the airline’s app.

It is better to have many sources of information than to rely on just one source.

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Find out your credit card’s delay and cancellation policy

At TPG, we talk a lot about how to make travel rewards credit cards work for you. Those credit card perks aren’t limited to earning money from airlines. elite status or get access to the best lounge for plane watching.

One underrated benefit of credit cards that can come to the rescue when things go bad is trip delay insurance.

Trip delay protection ensures that you won’t be held responsible for additional (reasonable) expenses after your trip is delayed for an extended period of time due to weather, operational issues, strikes, or other unforeseen events. You’ll likely have to pay the expenses up front, but you may be eligible for reimbursement from your card issuer later.

Credit cards that offer trip delay protection include:

*Benefits and eligibility vary by card. Terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG company.

Related: Best Credit Cards That Offer Trip Delay Refunds

See if you qualify for a refund

If you decide not to fly your originally scheduled flight due to important reasons delays and cancellationsYou will get a refund or points. Airlines will often try and push you to buy flight credit vouchers, but you don’t have to accept them; you are entitled to a cash refund if you want one.

You may have the option to cancel and get a refund through the airline’s website or app. However, airlines don’t always make it easy to request a refund; you may have to call the customer service line.

If you fly within the European Union, fly from the EU to a non-EU country on any airline or fly into the EU from a non-EU country on an EU airline, your trip will be covered. EU261 RegulationThis regulation includes compensation and assistance for passengers in case of denied boarding, flight cancellation or prolonged flight delay.

If you arrive at your final destination more than three hours late, you will be entitled to compensation (unless the delay is due to force majeure, such as terrorism).

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