Having a flight cancelled is an incredibly stressful experience. If you’re at the airport, bags packed and ready, everything booked and suddenly stranded, emotions can run high. However, it's important to stay calm. 

Anna Bielikova, Chief Operations Officer at Simply Contact, has shared her top tips for working your way through the chaos and getting the best customer service without losing your patience.  She said there is one phrase you can say which will almost always ensure your case is addressed promptly. Anna said: “Say ‘I need rebooking options, not a refund’ right away.

“This tells the system you're looking for a quick resolution, not a lengthy refund process. Also try ‘I have onward connections’, even if you don't. This gets you flagged as a complex case needing senior agent attention.”

She also recommends ditching the phone call for social media. These platforms often have shorter queues than phone lines because fewer people think to use them.

Anna said: “We see response times on airline apps that are 60% faster than phone support during peak periods. Social media teams also have more flexibility to solve problems quickly, and they hate public complaints.”

Try Twitter DMs or Facebook Messenger first. These teams want to resolve issues fast before they become reputation disasters.

If the airport is packed and the service desk for the airline you’re using has a huge queue, you can also try one of the other partner airlines. A lot of airlines share booking systems and can help with rebookings.

“If you're flying British Airways and their desk is packed, try checking with American Airlines or Qantas,” suggests Anna. “They're all in the same alliance and can often help faster than waiting in your original queue.”

If you are going to call the airline, try to avoid peak times.

Anna said: “The biggest mistake people make is calling during peak hours, which are between 8am and 6pm when everyone else is calling.

"Try early morning or late evening instead, if it’s not urgent. And never rely solely on airport staff during major disruptions. They're dealing with hundreds of people face-to-face while phone and digital teams might be less overwhelmed.”

It’s also crucial to stay calm and be polite, no matter how frustrated you may be. “Whatever you do, don't shout or get aggressive," sais Anna.

“I've seen our systems flag difficult customers, and once you're marked as problematic, every future interaction becomes harder.

"Stay calm, be specific about what you need, and always have your booking reference ready. The agents want to help you, so make their job easier and they'll make yours easier too.”