Survive A Travel Crisis: 6 Tips
 By Alex R. Merriman

Last month, business travelers found themselves stranded at airports across the country as airline carriers grounded hundreds of planes for inspections. American Airlines alone cancelled more than 3,000 flights in a week’s time.

If you didn’t get caught in the maddening mix-up, count yourself lucky. But, chances are sooner or later one of your business trips will get cancelled, delayed or scrambled.

The reasons are numerous: A blizzard closes airports; a meeting runs long and you miss your flight; a hotel loses your reservation; your rental car overheats in the middle of nowhere. And the list goes on.

No matter what the reason, you have to work yourself out of a travel snafu if you want to get where you’re going. Here are six tips to help you avert a travel crisis and find your way home.

1. Be Nice
There’s no sense screaming and stomping. You’ll just make things worse. Try to keep your sense of humor. Don’t throw a tantrum. Nice people really do get home first.

2. Give Your Cell Phone Number
When booking a flight, making a hotel reservation or renting a vehicle, always give the companies your cell phone number.

If flight delays or cancellations arise, most airlines will use an automated system to contact you. You don’t want that system calling your home phone while you’re on the road. You do want to be notified as soon as possible so you can make alternative travel plans.

Hotels and rental car companies will also be more likely to reach you in case of problems if they have your cell phone number.

3. Take Early Flights
Airlines suffer from a ripple effect. Minor delays in the morning tend to spread and become major delays as the day wears on.

The business traveler’s solution? Book early flights.

Early flights are less likely to get delayed or cancelled than late-in-the-day flights. If your early flight does get canceled or delayed, you have more opportunities for catching another flight on the same day and less chance of getting stranded at an airport overnight.

4. Prepare For Parking
You leave the house a little late as you begin your business trip. A traffic jam on the way to the airport eats up more time than usual. You finally get to the airport – only to find that the long-term parking lot is full. Now you’re in danger of missing your flight.

Parking problems on the first leg of your trip can escalate into a full-blown travel crisis. Here’s one way to reduce the potential for problems – reserve a long-term parking space before you ever leave home.

Try this Web site for starters: www.airportparking.com. Just select your departure airport and your travel dates. The site provides you with a list of parking providers, sorted by location, price and services. Choose the long-term airport parking facility you want and complete the information on the secure check out page. Print out your receipt and present it to the airport parking facility. Presto! No parking problem.

5. Stay Informed
Knowing if storm clouds are gathering at airports or if flights are backing up on the ground can help you prepare for alternatives.

Any travel Web site worth a look will give you updates on weather conditions and airline delays. But, if you want to know about security line wait times, FAA flight delays and flight status, try www.flightstats.com. The site even offers free downloadable applications that send real-time information to you via e-mail.

6. Use Your AFS Benefits
Your AFS benefits can help reduce travel hassles. Here are just a few to check out on the AFS Web site.

• Association Motor Plan
  Don’t hit the road without emergency roadside assistance from Association Motor Plan. Members simply call the toll-free dispatch number for authorized “sign and go service.” You get 24-hour service access anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.
  
  
• Hotel Savings Program
  You’ll never be far from a convenient hotel with the Hotel Savings Program. And AFS Members save an additional 10 percent off the “Best Available Rate” at thousands of participating locations around the world.
  
  
• Hertz
  AFS frequent renters can eliminate the hassle of waiting in long lines by taking advantage of the Hertz #1 Club Gold. Plus, you’ll save up to 15 percent off daily member benefit rates and 10 percent off standard daily, weekly and weekend rates at participating Hertz locations.

 

(Posted May 2008)

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