Nothing is more frustrating when your trip abroad is sabotaged by either your luggage being lost by the airline or your flight is cancelled. After years of pretty much stress free travel both of these things happened to me in 2023. However, I didn’t let this ruin the amazing trips I was on and have put together this guide in case the same happens to you.
What to do if your flight is cancelled before you go
Good news is you’re not stranded in a foreign country. Bad news is the trip you’ve been really looking forward to is at risk. I had my outgoing flight to Munich cancelled 2 weeks before we were due to go. This wasn’t too bad, British Airways showed the other flights we could rebook free of charge so we decided to to fly out a bit earlier than planned which meant we got to have a longer break. If your outgoing flight is cancelled on the day or worse when you’re already at the airport it’s important to understand your consumer rights before you make any further decisions.
Citizen’s Advice guide on getting compensation for cancelled flight
To prepare for the worst if a trip is cancelled I would recommend booking your hotel and any trips with free cancellation through Booking.com and Get Your Guide.
What to do in your flight home is cancelled
Out of the two, many would agree that having to remain on holiday and delay your return to work is the better than having a flight cancelled before you go away. However, if you have things to get back for and are also worried about money/getting accommodation it can still be very stressful.
When your flight home is cancelled your airline will likely present you with options for the next flights available. If you’re desperate to get home it’s also worth checking other airlines and if they have availability and contacting your airline directly about this.
I was recently in Gothenburg when 12 hours before our flight home was due to take off it was cancelled. The next available flight home was 2 days later which we booked. I went on booking.com and extended our hotel stay and also extended our airport parking back at Heathrow. When extending your hotel and parking keep a copy of all your receipts as you’ll want to claim this back off the airline.
During these 2 extra days we kept our receipts for food and clothing we had to buy (we didn’t go overboard just some H&M t shirts and underwear).
Once we got home we submitted our claim to British Airways. As it was a European flight we are also due to receive 250 euros each and will update this post when this has been received.
As always, check what your consumer rights are.
What to do if the airline loses your luggage
After the first few round of luggage go round the carousel you start to have the rush of adrenaline that the airline might have lost your luggage. In reality, your luggage will appear but for the unlucky less than 1% you’ll be bitterly disappointed.
I was travelling to Jordan for 4 days on my own on my first trip to the Middle East. It really was one of the least convienant flights for British Airways to have lost my luggage as I was in a country with a strict dress code and where underwear is difficult to buy (well it was impossible for me). I was also staying in the desert and all my wind proof gear was in the hold.
I didn’t need to register my luggage as lost at the airport and BA emailed me to say they knew it hadn’t been put on the plane.
For my 4 day trip I bought the only clothes and toiletries I could at a tourist shop. In future, I will be putting any key essentials in my hand luggage just in case.
Keep receipts of everything you buy so you can make a claim.
It took me months to get my luggage back and to get my claim refunded. It’s painful but you need to call the airline every few days to keep on top of it. It took a month for British Airways to realise my luggage had been sent to Jordan after I had arrived back home to London.
My biggest piece of advice would be don’t let it ruin your holiday. Yes it’s very annoying but you can’t get your holiday memories back so make the most of it and deal with the claim and phone calls when you get home.