PHOENIX — If you're flying, getting from here to there doesn't seem as easy as it used to be.
Scenes of passengers stranded after canceled flights are increasingly more common. So, what do you do if you show up at the gate and find your plane will not be taking off?
First, experts say to try resolving the issue at the counter where agents know what happened.
Look up later flights and push for a seat or demand to be booked on a partner airline.
Six of the 10 major U.S. airlines have rebooking agreements.
If necessary, call customer service and communicate through the airline's app. Don't take no for answer.
Teresa Murray with the Public Interest Research Group says clearly document all interactions and promises.
"Get people's names. 'I talked with this person at this time and here's what they told me, wasn't happy with it,'" she says.
Murray also says if you have an overnight delay, stay in a hotel and then push to get reimbursed later.
"If people lay down and give in, then airlines have no reason to change," she says.
If you can't get a flight or a refund or there's another issue, file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Murray says they do investigate.
Right now, states cannot sue airlines on behalf of citizens, which is something PIRG wants to see changed.
