How to Get Home When Your Flight is Canceled

A Challenging Day

Imagine this: you're on a weekend getaway with your mom, and on the day you’re supposed to return, you receive the dreaded message from the airline: "We’re sorry, your flight has been canceled." That was my reality as I woke up at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago, trying to figure out how to get back to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta after a weekend in the Windy City. A massive storm had swept through the night before, and it seemed to still be causing chaos in Georgia.

I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Was there really no way for my mom and me to get home? Once I realized that my only options were standby flights with Delta for the entire day, I knew I had to change my plans.

Searching for Flight Rebooking Options

I checked the airline's app but was disappointed to find only standby flights. There was no way I was going to gamble on that, so I decided not to fly Delta back to Atlanta anymore.

I was born in South Carolina, and my mom lives in North Georgia, so we usually meet in Atlanta when we fly together. Therefore, I started thinking of alternative ways to get home.

Expanding the Search to Nearby Airports

In this situation, I knew I needed to head south, and I was quite familiar with Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) in South Carolina and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). I could find a way back to Atlanta by asking family for help or renting a car.

Here’s my first tip: If you really need to get home, expand your flight search beyond your original airport. Consider flying into nearby cities and renting a car to get back to where you need to be. While it may not always be convenient, it’s certainly better than being completely stranded.

Using Transfer Points to Snag Last-Minute Seats

Ticket prices for same-day flights can skyrocket, especially when nearby routes are canceled. We didn't want to pay between $600 to $900 each just to get home, so transfer points became the perfect solution. This is when my transfer points came into play.

The more flexible your points are, the more options you have. I had a collection of American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Points, Capital One miles, and Chase Ultimate Rewards—diverse enough to be useful.

Booking Flights Using Distance-Based Charts

If you know which programs use distance-based charts rather than dynamic pricing for redemptions, you’ll know where to start looking when prices are high. The programs I often use with distance-based charts instead of price include Air Canada Aeroplan, Atmos Rewards, and British Airways Club.

I particularly love Atmos Rewards for this purpose, as flights from ORD to ATL, GSP, or CLT only require 4,500 points one-way in economy and 9,000 points one-way in first class, no matter how high the cash prices are. Even if you’re unaware of this, free tools like Seats.aero are perfect for situations like this.

Smart Backup Flights

When you're traveling on days prone to delays and cancellations, booking a backup flight with points is a great method to ensure you still have a chance to fly.

When my mom and I arrived at ORD, we encountered chaos. Flights to Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina were still being canceled, and when our new flight to Greenville was delayed by an hour, I began considering a Plan C for my Plan B. In my case with Atmos Rewards, I knew that if I canceled my redeemed ticket before departure time, I would receive a full refund.

Be Cautious with Point Transfers

The most important thing to remember is that point transfers are irreversible. When I transferred an additional 10,000 Bilt points to Atmos Rewards for the backup flight, I could get a refund to Atmos Rewards, but they could not return to Bilt. Since I enjoy redeeming Atmos Rewards, this wasn’t a major issue for me. However, if you book a backup flight with an airline or program you don't use frequently, remember that you won't be able to transfer them back to your transfer point balance.

Why Transfer Points Are Best When Canceled?

As mentioned above, transfer points are incredibly useful in situations like this, and I cannot emphasize that enough. I used Bilt points earned from my Bilt Palladium card to get me home in this situation. If you want to enhance your points, I recommend looking into transfer point cards like American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One miles, and many others.