Remember when flying was FUN? Gosh, you must be as old as I am! It’s a snake-pit now, but we can help.

Air travel has been rough for many of late. Okay, excruciating. Awful. Evil. And the airlines sure aren’t giving us much in the way of satisfactory explanations, to wit:

• Problem: A computer glitch strands/delays a quarter-of-a-million United passengers
• Explanation: United’s Robin Urbanski said, ”Human error. We are very sorry for the inconvenience.
• What This Means To You: Sorry, pal, you’re outta luck!

• Problem: Excrement flows down the aisles from broken toilets on a Continental flight
• Explanation: Continental statement: ”The lavatory repair work indicated good flow in the lavatory system.”
• What This Means To You: Keep that clothes-pin on your nose!

I Cant Get No Satisfaction?

Often, not much. And you may have to wait days, even weeks for a response. But here are some thing to try:

1. Contact the airline: Call, write and email; be persistent but polite. You may get a voucher out of this.
2. Check with the FAA: They have a hotline for complaints
3. Try the Department of Transportations Aviation Consumer Protection Division; it handles complaints about airlines or air travel service problems

How To Prepare For Problems

We know theres not a lot you can do after a terrible flight, but there are some things you can do beforehand, to make the inevitable problems easier to deal with. The main thing is to have a back-up plan. Here are FareCompare’s suggestions:

• Bring a copy of your airlines Contract of Carriage with you on the plane; this spells out what an airline may or may not do for you if problems arise (find it by typing carriage in your airlines search box)
• Fly non-stop; it greatly reduces the chances of lost luggage
• If you cant fly non-stop, bring your luggage onboard with you
• Have a list of alternate flights on your airline and other carriers, in case of delays/cancellations
• Make sure you have food and water with you
• Dress in layers; in case you’re stuck on a hot plane you can disrobe as temps rise
• Be nice to the crew; they want to get home just as much as you do

Let FareCompare Help

Still unhappy? Then let us know. We are concerned about customer service issues. And wed be happy to publicize your problems (and airline employees, that goes for you, too!)