Late one afternoon, a client called me from the Las Vegas, Nevada airport. Scheduled to fly home to San Antonio, Texas, he arrived at the airport to learn that his flight had been cancelled due to mechanical failure. Standing in a long line at the airline counter, waiting and hoping to get on another flight, he called me to ask if I would check his airline’s website to see if they had any later flights available.

Has this ever happened to you? Your flight gets cancelled and you, along with 200+ other passengers, are scrambling to make alternate arrangements, usually at the airline counter. Unless you’re first in line, it could take 30-45 minutes or longer to reach the counter, while in the interim, the last available flight can be filled or take off.

What’s a passenger to do? Go ahead and get in line at the airline counter. Then, and more importantly, while waiting in line, use your cell phone to call the airline’s reservation desk. (Their number should be listed on your boarding pass.) The reservation desk can help right away to get you on an alternate flight, often much quicker than waiting in line.

Better yet, before you leave on your next trip, program the airline’s reservation desk or customer service number into your cell phone. Then you’ll be ready in case your flight plans are disrupted. As for my client; as I advised, he called the airline’s reservation desk and was able to catch another flight home that evening. Crisis averted!

Previously posted 10/12/2011