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Arriving Early? Check Your Flight Options

My Hurricane Sandy flight cancellations wound up with an even happier ending on Wednesday. I was dropped off at the airport a few hours before my 6:35PM flight was due to depart. I leisurely checked in and strolled to security which moved quickly. Once through I idly checked the departures board to make sure my flight wasn’t delayed and, on a whim, I checked to see what other DCA flights were going out.

That’s when I saw the the 2:30PM US Airways flight had been delayed to 4:30PM (which is what I had suspected might happen to the first flights out)!! At this point it was 4:10 so I hustled to the gate to see if there was a chance they could squeeze me on. The flight was boarding, but they actually had a window seat near the front still available. She printed out my new ticket and I boarded immediately. Getting home at least 2 hours earlier was totally worth giving up my first class upgrade on an hour and a half flight!

I’ve had mixed results asking to get on earlier flights. My attempt to avoid a long wait in the United PHL club lounge failed since the flight was already oversold, but asking at the gate of what looked like an oversold flight from CLT-DCA saved me a 2 1/2 hour layover!

So check the departures board when you first arrive. I’ve found it’s sometimes easier to  change your flight at the gate without a fee instead of at check-in (although sometimes the kiosk will offer you earlier options). As long as your tone isn’t entitled of presumptuous, they never seem to mind you asking, so it’s worth a try. I usually go with “This is probably a long-shot…” or “This flight is probably oversold, but…”

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Heels First is the travels and tribulations of two twenty-something frequent fliers jumping into the world of travel. Join Keri and Jeanne as they tackle mileage runs, elite status, and of course–the perfect travel accessories.

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