What to Do If a Cancelled Flight Leaves You Stranded

There's nothing like a flight cancellation to throw your vacation plans into disarray.

This week, hundreds of would-be travellers who purchased tickets for SkyGreece Airline flights between Toronto and Athens know that better than anyone.

But a cancelled flight is something most people will have to deal with at some point. Here's what you can do if you find yourself stranded at an airport:

Try calling the airline: The first directive staff will give passengers when a flight is cancelled is to get in line at the airline's counter and wait for their turn to rebook their flight. While you wait, you should try calling the airline to see what your options are. In some cases, you can rebook your trip over the phone without having to wait in line for hours.

Most travellers now have smartphones and airports are equipped with Wi-Fi, so e-mailing and tweeting at the company about your situation can also help.

Check for added flights: Major airlines such as Air Canada add flights when they have extra crews and capacity, so if your flight is cancelled and you can't find a suitable alternative with another airline, it's worth regularly checking back with your original airline to see if any flights have been added.

Contact your credit card company: With larger, well-established airlines, getting a refund for a cancelled flight isn't usually a problem. But it can be with smaller, lesser-known companies, especially if the cancellation was caused by the airline's financial situation.

If you bought your ticket with a credit card and are having trouble getting a refund from the airline, try contacting your credit card company. Some credit cards such as the HSBC Premier MasterCard and the ScotiaGold Passport Visa card have built-in insurance to protect cardholders during flight cancellations and can automatically refund some or all of the cost of your ticket.

Contact your travel agent: Travel agencies will often rebook or refund flights for their customers even when the airline won't. If you've booked your trip through one of these companies, keep you travel agency's contact information handy when travelling and contact them as soon as possible if your flight is cancelled.