An early-morning flight saved my trip to Cleveland this month, but not for the reasons enshrined in the Golden Rules of Summer Travel.
According to conventional wisdom, to improve your odds of departing on time — or ever — you should catch one of the first flights of the day. As the day progresses, airspace fills up, storms build up, and delays and cancellations pile up.
Yet at 5:30 a.m., I received a text that defied the maxim: American Airlines had canceled my trip due to inclement weather.
The hour and audacity of the carrier to upend my plans before my morning coffee caught me off guard. I stayed on the Metro train, waiting for the airline to rebook me on a later flight. The text never came.
Fortunately, I had time on my side. As soon as I arrived at Reagan National Airport, I jumped into action. More obstacles arose, but I refused to give up.
Here’s what I did to finally make it to the Midwest, plus post-trip intelligence in case there is a next time. Because, if this summer signifies the new normal, I am fairly certain there will be.
Step 1: Find an alternative flight
The scenario: American Airlines did not immediately rebook my Friday flight, so I called before entering the airport’s security checkpoint.
To prepare for the conversation, I checked the schedule online and was relieved to see several nonstops to Cleveland throughout the day. However, the agent said those flights were booked, and the next available nonstop was not until the following evening. Because I needed to arrive earlier in the weekend for an event, I countered with a request to fly standby. The agent said this was not possible because I no longer had a reservation for that day. I couldn’t even hover at the gate and try because my boarding pass had vanished.
What I did: I went home and called the airline back, widening my scope. The agent checked flights from other airports and with connections. I mulled an evening flight through Chicago, but worried about getting stuck in the wrong Midwestern city. After considering other configurations — fly to Pittsburgh and drive, for instance — I scrapped flying altogether.
Tips: Clint Henderson, an expert with the travel website the Points Guy, says to keep checking back because a seat could open up, particularly on a day of disrupted air travel.
If you find a flight on another airline, ask your carrier if they can book you on it. According to the Transportation Department’s Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard, the major carriers, including American, Delta and United, will place passengers on a partner or competitor airline for no additional cost in the event of a “controllable” cancellation. Though weather is not a controllable issue, it doesn’t hurt to ask.
“American has interline agreements with both Delta and United, meaning it has the technical ability to transfer a passenger’s ticket to those carriers in certain circumstances,” Henderson said. “That doesn’t mean they always will, but they can.”
If you ditch the flight but still plan to fly home, don’t cancel the entire reservation. Instead, tell the agent to retain the return segment. After completing your trip, submit a refund request for the unused portion. A few days after filing, for instance, I received $174 back on a $319 ticket.
Step 2: Cancel my nonrefundable car rental
The scenario: Without a flight, my new plan was to drive to Ohio, about six hours from D.C. But first, I had to cancel my round-trip car reservation from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. I had reserved a nonrefundable rental on Priceline, breaking another golden rule of travel: Always book the refundable option with the primary travel purveyor, not a third party.
What I did: I called Priceline and, much to my surprise, the agent said he would contact National Car Rental on my behalf and request a refund. To bolster my case, I forwarded Priceline my canceled flight information.
Tips: Travel expert Katy Nastro said travelers should capitalize on the rental car industry’s relatively lenient change and cancellation policies.
“Rental cars are among the most forgiving to cancel, usually right up until the hour before pickup,” she said. “This can also allow you to take advantage of any last-minute price shopping.”
If the travel company denies a refund, Henderson suggests checking your credit card’s trip delay and cancellation protections, or as a last resort, contesting the charge.
Step 3: Renting a car in a pinch
The scenario: Now I was on the hunt for a one-way rental car. The problem was, I couldn’t find a vehicle anywhere in the D.C. area.
What I did: I expanded my search and found a compact car at Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport. I booked a one-way with Enterprise Rent-a-Car, paying $395 for three days. I usually try to avoid toll roads to save money, but I didn’t want to increase my drive time by skirting major highways. So, I treated myself to a transponder.
Tips: The rental car company will charge a daily rate for a transponder ($4.95 a day, in my case, plus $40 in tolls), whether or not you are on a toll road. Therefore, do the math before renting one or bring your own if you can.
Step 4: On the road to Cleveland
The scenario: After Amtrak canceled my train to BWI, forcing me to scramble for a new one, I checked into the rental car agency online and successfully picked up the vehicle, the most seamless experience of the day. I plugged Cleveland into the GPS and set off, immediately hitting a patch of traffic.
What I did: I switched my mindset from flying to driving and settled into the ride, catching up on podcasts and enjoying the prettier parts of the road trip, such as the median strips of wildflowers and fields of corn stalks unfurling toward the horizon. I passed through several scary squalls, questioning whether my decision to abandon air travel was too hasty, but luckily neither the rain nor my regret lasted very long. My total day of travel, including the nearly eight-hour drive and a stop at the Anthropologie Home Outlet outside Pittsburgh, took 15 hours.
Tip: Embrace the road trip and the sense of control.
“Sometimes renting a car and trying to enjoy the freedom of driving can be the best solution when travel goes wrong on planes and trains,” Henderson said.
The takeaway
It was a challenging day, but I knew with certainty that I had made the right choices. From the comfort of my hotel room, I checked the fate of the other Cleveland flights. After several hours of delays, American had canceled all of them.
Though I spent more time and money than I had originally planned, I received refunds for half of the American flight, the Priceline rental and the Amtrak ticket — totaling more than $400. I arrived just in time for the first set of an ’80s cover band performing at the Holiday Inn’s Club Impulse.
I owe my success to the Golden Rules of Summer Travel but would add an asterisk to the entry: Book a refundable rental car as backup, in case the first rule goes awry.
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