ATLANTA — Memorial Day weekend was full of flight cancellations and delays for travelers.
Just over 1,000 flights had been canceled as of late Sunday morning, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. Almost 4,000 flights were also canceled Friday and Saturday.
Travel expert and founder of Scott's Cheap Flights, Scott Keyes said summer travel will continue to be hectic but offered tips on what travelers can do if their flight is canceled.
Call your airline
Travelers should contact the designated phone line for their airline that deals with flight cancellations and delays instead of calling their mainline, advised Keyes.
He pointed to Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, advising Georgia travelers to utilize their dedicated phone line a t1-855-548-2505. Keyes suggests calling the designated line for travelers scheduled to fly within the next 48 hours that have flights canceled or delayed.
"You're going to be able to get through a lot quicker and hopefully be able to get your issue resolved," he said.
Have a backup plan
When faced with possible delays or cancellations, travelers need to come prepared said Keyes, which means knowing what flight one would take if their flight is canceled.
Keyes suggests that this can be a flight on the same airline or airlines other than the one a traveler is flying.
In some instances, especially when there are widespread cancellations, airlines have called interline agreements. Interline agreements allow passengers to book through itineraries on multiple airlines with less hassle than booking each one separately.
An example of this would be Delta putting some of their stranded passengers on an American Airlines flight or on a United flight.
"Come prepared with which flight you would ideally like to get and that way you can ask for it specifically and be more likely to get it than if it's just open-ended for the flight agent and they're just picking one sort of at random," said Keyes.
Don't just wait in line
Amid flight disruptions, travelers should call their airline while they wait in line at the airport, explained Keyes.
"While you're standing in line or while you're walking over, call up the airline as well because the folks on the phone can help you just the same as folks in the airport," said Keyes. "You might actually end up getting through quicker depending on how long the line (is)."
Try calling your airline's international phone centers
Don't just call the domestic phone line for the airline when running into flight trouble.
"All the airlines have international phone centers as well that often have much, much shorter wait times," he said.
Keyes recommends checking to make sure if one's phone carrier has any additional charges for an international call before making one.
Check travel protections on your credit card
Travelers who use a credit card to book a flight could have some travel protection depending on the card, according to Keyes.
"Many credit cards automatically give you some certain travel protections, things like reimbursement if your flight is delayed or canceled," said Keyes. "Reimbursement for hotels, if your luggage gets lost or stolen or damaged, to be able to cover you for expenses, new clothes, toiletries and the like."
Travelers can do a quick internet search to see if their credit card has these protections.
For those looking to find the next best time to book, Keyes, explains that the cheapest summer flights are likely to be at the end of August or after Labor Day.
"Traveling at the end of August, you're likely to see fares 20% or 30% lower than in the middle of summer," said Keyes. "If it's possible at all for your travel plans to extend to be after Labor Day, you see fares 50% lower, if not more after Labor Day."