Lessons from Our Southwest Flight Diversion, and How You Can Protect Yourself

1. Introduction: Fun and Chaos of Visiting Yellowstone and Glacier with In-laws 

2. Logistics of Visiting Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks via Miles and Points 

3. Jet Blue vs. Southwest for Families, Plus Review of Club MCO Lounge

4. Lessons from Our Southwest Flight Diversion, and How You Can Protect Yourself (this post)

As some of you know, a month ago my family went to Yellowstone and Glacier National parks. Since we live in Florida and since my husband could only take one week off, we had no choice but to fly there. Our non-stop Jet Blue flight to Salt Lake City went off without a hitch. Return flight was a different story.

We were supposed to fly from Spokane to Orlando via Las Vegas. After circling the airport for 40 minutes, I had a bad feeling. Sure enough, we started to ascend and the announcement was made that we would be going to Phoenix instead. Apparently, Las Vegas had bad winds and we were low on fuel. So, the pilot had no choice but to select another airport. On the bright side, we got to enjoy amazing views of Grand Canyon.

I went ahead and paid $8 for internet so I could see what options we had that evening. I didn’t expect any non-stop flights to Orlando and indeed, it was clear that we would have to spend the night in Phoenix. This wasn’t actually a bad deal for us since we were supposed to land in Orlando at 1:30 AM, followed by a 2-hour drive home. In all reality, the diversion was a blessing in disguise. My sister-in-law felt differently, but agreed to stay with the family.

That is until we found out that our luggage would be going to Las Vegas. Foolishly, none of us packed any overnight clothes, which added to the drama. As expected, the Southwest agent offered to put us on a morning flight, but we would have to find a hotel and buy some clothes. At that point, it was 8 PM.

My sister-in-law decided to fly to Orlando via Denver, which had its own set of issues. Apparently, there were storms in the area and the agent warned her that she might be stuck in Denver overnight. She took her chances and landed in Orlando at 4 AM after some weather delays, drove home, and came back to pick us up few hours later. No comment.

My mother-in-law bought travel insurance, so I knew her expenses would be reimbursed. This whole time I thought that I used a gift card to pay taxes on our Southwest flight. It’s only when I got home, I’ve discovered that I actually used my Chase Hyatt Visa. Hooray!

There was now hope of reimbursement since this incident would fall under “travel delay.” And indeed, that’s what ended up happening. Just a few days ago, I got a check for $255 (hotel, food and clothes purchases). Not too shabby for a credit card with a $75 annual fee that also happens to give me a free hotel certificate each year.

Let me share a few key points, based on my experience:

1) NEVER use a gift card to pay taxes on award tickets, unless you also purchase a standalone travel insurance. 

See all those deals on discounted Southwest gift cards? Don’t do it. It sounds nice to save money in theory, but you would be giving up protection by going this route. You never know what may happen during or before your flight. Airlines aren’t obligated to pay for your hotel if a delay or diversion is weather-related. Now, if you use a gift card to pay part of the cost and a credit card for the remainder of the balance, that should be OK.

I also recommend you stay up-to-date on credit card benefits. You’ve probably heard that all Citi cards, including Citi Prestige, will lose travel insurance coverage on September 22nd. Supposedly, any trips purchased before that date will still be covered. But personally, I wouldn’t take a chance. You can find a current benefits PDF file by searching Google or by calling the respective bank.

Several Chase cards offer good travel protection, and you can see my post for more on that topic Chase Sapphire Reserve is probably the best on the market at the moment. Among non-premium Chase credit cards, I think Chase World of Hyatt card is a standout. It covers flights, cruises and lodging. Some cards seem to only cover flights.

Here are Hyatt card’s travel protection benefits in a nutshell:

Partial payment, like taxes on award ticket, is OK.

To be clear, I wouldn’t apply for Hyatt card due to this benefit alone. Fortunately, it’s worth it for sign-up bonus (50k Hyatt points) as well as ongoing perks, like 1-4 Category certificate upon each renewal. Here is my personal referral link (I will get 5,000 Hyatt points if you get approved). The card is subject to 5/24 restriction. The annual fee is now $95, but still worth it for most families IMO. I’m cheap, but this card is a keeper, even more so after our incident.

If you are planning a super complicated trip, like Japan/Hawaii adventure I just booked, you may want to buy a standalone policy, just in case. That’s what I did. This is especially important for those who have a pre-existing health condition.

2) If you are diverted or delayed, stay calm and be proactive in exploring your options.

I can’t overstate the importance of keeping it together despite challenging circumstances. My MIL saw a lady sobbing because she had a cruise leaving out of Port Canaveral the following day. Her whole family was stressed out trying to calm her down.

Don’t get me wrong, I felt sorry for her. But there was  literally nothing anyone could do at that point. Southwest wasn’t about to charter a private jet to Florida for just her party. It really stressed out her family, and people around her who had to watch the whole display. They did get on a connecting flight to Orlando, so all was well in the end.

Another passenger got hostile when she found out that the luggage wouldn’t be unloaded in Phoenix and would arrive at her original destination the following day. She got downright aggressive with the Southwest agent, and I actually had to say something. Once again, it’s a stressful situation, but please stay calm and don’t take it out on airline workers. It is not their fault.

The lady later came up to me and thanked me for defending her. They are human beings, just like us. I was very impressed by how professional all of Southwest agents were under these difficult circumstances. I’m not sure I could keep my cool, to be honest. Thumbs up!

As soon as you find out that the flight will be diverted, pay for internet access so you can explore your options. That way you won’t have to depend on airline agent for the solution, but instead can suggest what is preferable to you. I saw that our two options were 7AM or 3PM flight to Orlando, and we all agreed that it would be better to leave in the morning.

One thing I didn’t research ahead of time was hotel options near PHX. I guess I was hoping the airline would offer to pay for it, but that didn’t happen. Speaking of…

3) Find a hotel with self-service laundry when traveling with a large family. 

I almost booked a Hyatt Place assuming they would have laundry facilities. Guess what? They didn’t. I’m glad I called to double-check. Even if you have travel insurance, the last thing your family will want to do is go and try on clothes in the store. That’s especially true if you are stuck somewhere at night.

If you find a hotel with self-service laundry, it will eliminate that problem. You can simply wash what everyone is wearing and use it the following day. Of course, if you didn’t pack overnight sleeping clothes, you will have to buy a few things. That’s why my mother-in-law and I went to a nearby Target to get underwear and T-shirts for everyone. We took Lyft there and called the hotel shuttle to pick us up (at no charge). Still, it was easier than dragging everyone to the store since sleeping clothes don’t have to fit just right.

Since I volunteered to do everyone’s  laundry, I had to wear something around the hotel. So, I bought shorts and this awesome t-shirt for $10:

#Truth

I could sure use some wine that night….

We ended up staying in Doubletree Suites Phoenix Airport  It was OK, but I wouldn’t choose it again. Loud HVAC system, weird building set-up and hair on one of the pillows were three strikes against it. But we just needed a place to sleep that happened to have self-service laundry + airport shuttle, and that hotel did the trick.

4) Always pack a small carry-on with overnight clothes and personal items.

I used to do that, but for some reason decided to roll the dice on this trip. Bad call. Even if you are taking a non-stop flight, it may get diverted or your luggage may get lost. As much as I love that t-shirt, the last thing I wanted to do was shop at Target at night. It didn’t help that our Lyft driver looked like a serial killer.

5) Be prepared for a headache and delays when dealing with credit card travel insurance. 

This was my first experience filing a claim on a Chase-issued card, and it was a bit of a nuisance. What do I mean by that? Well, I filed a claim on their dedicated website Eclaimsline and uploaded all the required documents. A week later I got an email saying that some of the documents are missing. Huh? I’ve emailed them again, only to get another message a week later that the claim is pending due to missing files.

In short, I had to make four phone calls, send four emails and wait about a month before the claim was finally approved. I can’t help but think that the process is set up that way intentionally, in order to discourage any follow-up. Before you think I’m a conspiracy theorist, there are numerous online data points recounting similar experience. But don’t give up! I got paid eventually, and $255 is nothing to sneeze at.

Interestingly, my in-laws’ standalone insurance didn’t reimburse them for clothes. So, always dig through details and know what’s covered and what’s not whether you are buying a separate policy or relying on a credit card.

6) Save all of your receipts and ask airline agent for an official written statement.

This is a no-brainer as the insurance company will (understandably) ask for proof. So, save your boarding passes, food receipts and get a written statement from the airline right away, so you don’t have to worry about it later. I happened to keep all of my receipts, thank goodness.

Above all else, try to keep a good attitude. Stuff happens, that’s a fact of life. Plus, you may even get a cool t-shirt out of it.

Readers, have you dealt with a flight diversion? What tips can you give?

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