What to do when a flight is cancelled: 3 tips for transit travellers

Cancelled flights are stressful but certain tactics can make them smoother. Photo / 123rf

I was 21 hours into a 32-hour journey home when I landed at Singapore’s Changi Airport, and my phone dinged with an email.

“We regret to advise your flight... has been cancelled.”

On a regular day, I’d have no issue handling a cancelled flight. But a travel day is anything but regular—it’s an endless stretch of sleepless hours that leaves you physically achy and emotionally drained.

Throw in a foreign airport with limited information or support, and it’s a perfect storm for confusion, irritation, and overwhelm—emotions that hit me hard, even though I’m a travel journalist who often writes about flight disruptions and travellers’ rights.

Flight cancellations are rare compared to delays, but they do happen. Here are three things I’d tell any traveller to do if they find their flight cancelled while abroad:

1. Read provided information carefully

If an airline cancels your flight, they’ll typically contact you via email, text, or through their app. However they reach out, don’t just skim the message—it will tell you exactly what to do.

In my panicked state, I skimmed the airline’s email and immediately started searching online for a customer service number. The urge to speak to a real person is understandable, but in hindsight, I should have read the email more thoroughly. It actually instructed me to go to a specific part of the airport.

When I finally arrived, I found representatives (yes, real people!) giving passengers updates about flights and hotel accommodations. But since I’d wasted time, I had to join the end of a long line, which I could have avoided if I had gone straight there.

2. Call your insurance provider

The first thing I did after realizing my flight was cancelled was call my travel insurance company and I recommend all travellers do the same.

Fortunately, my insurer had texted me an emergency number at the start of my trip, and within two minutes, I was speaking to a representative. After listening to my situation, they emailed a detailed breakdown of exactly what I was covered for and what documentation I’d need for a claim.

This was helpful to know before talking to the airline, as I now knew what insurance would cover if I had to make my own way home. Airlines usually rebook travellers quickly, but when the cancellation email mentioned it could be “a few days,” I wanted backup options.

3. Ask lots of questions

This is arguably the most important step—and one I saw many fellow travellers skip.

While standing in the hotel we’d been bussed to, I overheard a couple worrying about how many days it would be before they could get home. “Excuse me,” I said, “there are two flights tomorrow, one at 7 am and one at 7 pm, and you’ll likely be on one of them.” How did I know this? Because I had asked.

“I was just so tired and frazzled I didn’t think to ask,” the woman replied.

Whether you’re speaking to an airline representative, your insurance provider, or a hotel concierge, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Never in anger or frustration—these people aren’t responsible for the cancellation—but so that you feel informed and in control of the situation.

At the cancellation desk, I asked at least a dozen questions, like: Where are my bags right now? Do I need to collect them? Do I need to fill out a visitor visa to leave the airport? What flights are people being rebooked on, and when will I know which one I’m on? How likely is it that I’ll fly out within the next hour/day/week?

Asking questions may feel tedious, but during a rebooking process, staff repeat the same information to hundreds of passengers and might skip over certain details as time passes. For example, they may have told the first person in line exactly where the hotel shuttle was, but by the time I asked, all I got was “downstairs to the right,” which seemed clear enough but wasn’t particularly helpful at an airport as large as Changi.

Staff did, however, know where Subway was, which another traveller had been told to wait outside.