Here’s what you can do if your flight is canceled

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - The recent winter weather has resulted in some headaches for thousands of Americans.

“It’s a lot nicer to sleep in a room, than it is on a bench in an airport,” Shari Elfrink, President of 1st Class Travel, said.

Calls from stranded travelers and clients are keeping Elfrink’s team busy at her travel agency.

“We’ve been trying to help people all weekend all weekend even though we weren’t open we were closed,” she said.

Elfrink said the high volume of calls are part of her job as a travel agent.

“You get to call us at 3 a-m when your flight gets cancelled, which we had that happen this weekend,” Elfrink said. “I would definetely plan this time of year, for delay.”

Tuesday, an online flight tracking website called FlightAware showed 15,746 flights delayed and counting.

Meanwhile, 4,932 were canceled.

More than 2,600 of the cancellations come from Southwest Airlines.

The site shows 64% of the company’s Tuesday flights result in a cancellation.

“If you’re stranded at the airport, the first thing is I start getting a hotel, at the airport if at all possible,” Elfrink said.

She suggests booking the earliest possible flight and forming a plan of action.

“Expectations are a lot of what happens with this,” she said. “If you already expect things may not go right, it makes it a little easier, make a backup plan, if this happens and we’re a day late, we’re going to maybe this place and stay or get a hotel at the airport the night before if the storm is coming in so you’re already there, and you’re not worrying about how we’re getting to the airport on time.”

Part of her plan is to have travel insurance of some form.

“There is just no mercy with these airlines and hotels and tour operators after what they went through with COVID,” Elfrink said.

Elfrink urges travelers to have a travel agent during the winter, so that you have a contact in case you end up stranded.

For more advice from travel experts, click here.

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