Anyone who has ever been stuck in transit knows just how difficult it is to reach an airline at the same time as thousands of other people.
During the height of the now-notorious holiday storm and following booking system breakdown of 2022, it took more than a week for Southwest Airlines (LUV) to get the last of the stranded passengers out of gate seats and airport lounges and to their final destinations.
DON'T MISS: Booking a Flight on This Day Could Save You 15%
At the time, travel experts were advising stranded passengers to do everything from book the most expensive flight home and then sue for a refund to call an airline's British or Canadian hotline in the hopes of reaching a human worker faster than through the maxed-out American line.
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When In Doubt About A Flight, Go Online (First)
But according to a recent article published by travel website The Points Guy, the best strategy is to always go online first and see if you can resolve the issue through the airline's website without calling.
When hundreds of flights were canceled due to something like adverse weather, airline workers on the phone are under strict orders to prioritize flights leaving soonest while anyone else may not be able to get through at all.
Questions like "is my flight canceled?" will often get a human answer while information about delays is almost always available online first. Sometimes it's even better to wait for a formal announcement of a canceled flight.
"If you're not scheduled to travel within the next few days, try to be patient," Caroline Tanner wrote for The Points Guy. "In addition to waiting to call your airline and freeing up capacity for more urgent needs, you’re actually increasing your chances of getting a refund back to your original form of payment. When an airline cancels a flight (no matter what reason) or there’s a significant schedule change, you’re eligible for a full refund."
When It Comes To Refunds, It 'Pays To Wait'
If strategy is the goal, it is important to consider just how understaffed the entire airline industry currently is. North American airlines are currently 12,000 short of pilots while everyone from baggage handlers to call center operators are also in demand after airlines laid off tens of thousands during the covid-19 pandemic and is now unable to rehire fast enough to meet rebounding demand.
While the quality of the responses can range, trying to reach an airline website's chatbot or social media messaging platform will often be faster than trying to call directly. Calling can often leave you waiting on hold for hours and, particularly when it comes to non-urgent matters, get you a monotone response while the refund will still only come within a couple of weeks.
At the moment, the Biden administration and a number of lawmakers are working to make it harder for airlines to refuse a refund due to factors that they consider "outside their control."
"If you have upcoming travel within the next few days, it might make more sense to hop on the phone to resolve your situation sooner rather than later," Tanner wrote. "If you're making a change well before your flight, it pays to wait — especially if you’re looking to get a refund."
