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NextTribe: Flight delays, cancellations and snarky flight attendants

NextTribe: Flight delays, cancellations and snarky flight attendants

Travel hacks, tips, and savings

Jeannie Edmunds
June 25, 2024

Travel news for our favorite travelers.

Hi, Jeannie Edmunds reporting in from LA, where our American flight from Kauai was only delayed by an hour. #feelingblessed. You know why? The woman seated next to me told me that particular flight is frequently delayed by 5+ hours.

We had a traveler on our Paris trip this spring whose Air France flight was delayed even longer, then canceled! She never made it to Paris but she was able to book one of the last spots on our Fall Paris trip. And lucky for her, she had the top-of-the-line trip insurance from Allianz so she got almost all of her money back.

Both of our Paris trips sold out this year. We’ll post dates for 2025 soon!

When your flight is cancelled.

If you’re trying to make it to a certain destination by a certain date, you may be out of luck if your flight is cancelled. “Interline agreements,” which allow airlines to sell each other’s tickets, are not nearly as prevalent as they once were.

Our Paris traveler, who had a business class ticket, was told she could get another Air France flight two weeks later or fly to Paris via Miami two days later but that would still mean missing half the trip.

Moral of the story: protect your investment with trip insurance.

Wanderwell and Allianz are two providers we use, and some of our travelers have shopped around and found others.

What about accident/injury protection?

Trip cancellation insurance protects you if you have to cancel the trip.

No travelers were harmed during our cooking class in Peru, thank goodness!

But if you get sick or injured on a trip, you’ll wish you’d bought medical coverage even if you have Medicare. Only Medigap Plan N covers international travel and if you don’t have it, you might want to consider switching over during open enrollment if you travel a lot.

If you’re under 65, check with your insurance carrier about what’s covered if you’re out of your home state, or overseas.

Allianz offers an affordable annual policy that covers all of your travel (and that of one other member of your household).

In other travel news…

A platinum AMEX gets you into 22 Centurion lounges worldwide, 13 in the US.

The arms race in airport lounges. Have you seen a Centurion Lounge? Worth getting a Platinum Amex just for the experience! There a great article in the Atlantic about how airlines and credit card companies are escalating the amenities offered in these lounges, but it’s behind a dreaded paywall!

However, you can listen to the podcast about it here, free!

***

What pisses off flight attendants the most?

I’ve learned so much following accounts like: @twoguysonaplane, @krewestkaren @grumpystew @jumpseatconfessionals and @flightattendantconfessional on Instagram, and @fliglhtattendantjojo, @taylorosborneeee, @thatcoolguy.25597, and @karinameetsworld on TikTok.

Pro tips:

That’s not water on the floor in the bathroom of your airplane. Ewww!

Don’t walk to the bathroom in anything other than shoes.
Don’t ask if it’s their “regular route.”
Don’t lollygag if you’re the last one off the plane. FA’s are legally required to wait for you, and on most airlines they’re off the clock just a few minutes after the door to the jetway opens.
Don’t press the call button, like, ever, unless it’s a real emergency.

Do offer them a popular magazine you brought on board, a Starbucks or Amazon gift card, lip balm or some other small, thoughtful gift. It won’t get you an upgrade but it will brighten their day.
Do give them a smile and greet them if they greet you.
Do put your own bag in the overhead and face it the right way.
Do thank them when you get off the plane.