Almost anyone who flies frequently has experienced a delayed flight. Some delays may only last a few minutes while some of them may turn into a horror story filled with hours sitting on a tarmac. Among many of these long flight delays are a few perks. In the past, both passengers and airlines have done some things to make these delays just a little bit easier to handle.
Pizza
Delta Air Lines’ is becoming known for giving free pizza to flyers when their flight doesn’t go as planned. On one flight, passengers were given free pizza because the plane’s cabin filled with smoke and the airline wanted to try to make up for it. Recently on a flight to Atlanta, the plane was diverted to Knoxville because of bad weather. While the plane waited on the ground for the storms to clear up so they could continue to their destination, flight attendants served frazzled passengers slices of pizza. Despite being 3 hours late to their destination, many of the individuals on the flight didn’t seem bothered by the inconvenience because they were made to feel that their time was important.
Money
Sure, most of us have heard of perks like a free plane tickets or a free overnight stay at a hotel because of a flight delay, but Air New Zealand went one step further last summer. Passengers were stranded in Hawaii for a total of three days, but were given $850 to make up for it. Not only did they get to stay in a beautiful destination, but they got a little bit of spending money out of the deal as well.
Special Resort
On a flight from Cancun Mexico, passengers had to endure a 22-hour delay. Instead of leaving them at the airport, Thomson transported them to a resort hotel in the Caribbean. It more than made up for it for most travelers considering that they got to spend their New Year’s Eve in paradise.
Entertainment
It’s not uncommon for the airline crew to try to entertain passengers during a flight delay, but many passengers take on these reigns as well. During a U.S. airways delayed flight, a barbershop quartet tried to distract disgruntled passengers by breaking out in song. Even a well-known football player, Gabe Baker, serenaded passengers during a flight delay from the Hawaii Bowl with his rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” using his ukulele.
The next time you are on a flight delay, don’t fret as there may be some perks involved. Even if you don’t get money or pizza, why not get inspired to bust out in song or try your latest break dancing move? It just might make the delay seem to go a little bit faster.
The key is to have reasonable expectation. There are certain things that are beyond an airlines control, such as weather delays. If it is the airlines fault for the delay such as a maintenance issue with the plane or lost luggage, then you are more likely to receive some type of perk or compensation if the delay is lengthy. Don’t be emotional when requesting what you want. The easiest to obtain is usually to receive an upgrade to a premium seat. If you don’t like the answer you get from the ticket desk, take to Twitter and name the company – you will often get a response from the corporate office when using social media.
Keep in mind that travelers insurance is highly recommended and covers lost luggage, trip delay and even meals depending on the situation, so consider that as a back up just in case the airlines don’t help.
