As the holidays ramp up, that means you—and everyone else in the country—are probably hopping on a plane. And with the flurry of seasonal travel comes the inevitable delays, cancellations and other chaos. While I'm knocking on wood that it's smooth sailing for all, sometimes, the inevitable question arises: What to do if your flight is canceled? I spoke with a travel expert to get the scoop on how to handle any situation, whether you're being turned away at the gate or are being asked to give up your seat on an oversold flight.
What to Do If Your Flight Is Canceled (& Other Scenarios), According to a Travel Expert
Don't panic! Yet
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Published Dec 1, 2025
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Meet the Expert
Madison Blancaflor is the managing editor at The Points Guy. For the past six years, Blancaflor has covered the travel and finance industries and written about everything from travel credit cards to theme parks.
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What to Do If Your Flight Is Canceled...and You're at the Gate
These words are enough to send chills down my spine just entertaining the idea. If you've been there, you know. The anxiety as the first delay turns into a second, then a third. Before you know it, the clock is creeping on midnight before someone finally calls it. The flight's canceled.
Before you descend into panic or attempt to race the other 300 passengers to a customer service desk, hold the phone. Literally.
"We highly recommend having [your airline's app] downloaded to your phone. Be logged in; have your flight flight details put into the app," Blancaflor says. "Oftentimes, that's the first place you'll get a notification that your flight is canceled, and usually it's the quickest way to rebook on another option like flight from the same airline."
Another hack: If you have any airline status or credit card that gives you access to a lounge, beeline there if you need in-person help. Per Blancaflor, you're more likely to be in a line of two or three rather than 50 if you take advantage of the amenities.
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What to Do If Your Flight Is Canceled Days Before Departure
If you find out your flight is canceled days before you depart, your best bet is to still try and rebook through your airline's app, which is likely to be your fastest recourse. Otherwise, you should call. If you're having a hard time getting through, Blancaflor suggests the old-fashioned tactic of shame and turning to the airline's social media page. "Somebody is monitoring the social media inbox for your big airlines like United, American, Delta, JetBlue."
What to Do If Your Flight Is Overbooked
Flights are often oversold with the expectation that enough people won't make the trip. However, there are times when the gamble is a bad one and everyone shows up. That's when the airline starts asking for volunteers to give up their seat. I asked Blancaflor how you can actually make it worth your time.
The longer that you wait to tell them that you're willing to bump, the higher the price will go," she says. "[They might start with] $200 in flight vouchers. The closer that it gets to takeoff time, the more that price will start to go up [if they have insufficient volunteers]. I have personally seen it start at $200 and end at over $1,000."
It also doesn't hurt to make your own offer. While there's no guarantee the airline will accept, if it's down to the wire for them, you have nothing to lose in making a crazy ask. Why, yes, I'll bump my flight for $3,000.
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What to Do If Your Luggage Is Lost or Damaged
You made it to your destination. Your luggage (with all your clean underwear) did not. Blancaflor recommends two things prior to traveling to take the stress out.
The first is to throw a tracker into your bag, like an Apple Air Tag or Life360 tile, so even if the airline is struggling to locate your bag, you can tell them where it is. The second is to pay for your trip with a credit card that offers baggage protections, if you have one.
I also have a rule that when traveling, a minimum number of essentials must make it with me on the plane. There's always at least three pairs of clean underwear, all necessary toiletries and two changes of clothes in my carry-on, so that if I am separated from a larger checked bag, I'm not SOL while it's being recovered.
Travel Insurance: Scam or Good Idea?
Confession: I almost always risk it for the biscuit. However, after my share of travel mishaps this year, saving my biscuit actually seems pretty appealing. I opted into the tacked-on travel insurance while buying some flights this year, but according to Blancaflor, there's something else I should have done.
For those whose travel plans involve tons of moving parts, you're better off going with comprehensive third-party travel insurance. Because that little upsell at checkout for your flight? It covers only that. Not the cruise ship you miss because of the delays.
"I would recommend going third party because you can put in the entire trip," Blancaflor says. "It's not just your flights that are covered. It's your flights, hotel, activities you book. If something goes wrong, your whole trip's covered and not just your flight."
The Bottom Line
As you gear up for holiday travel, remember: Download your airline's app, use your credit card or airline status to your advantage and opt for some third-party insurance that covers your whole trip. Now sit back, try to relax and manifest your plane leaving the tarmac.
