When Travel Goes Wrong: Delays, Lost Bags and Disputes

Everything in travel English is easy until something goes wrong. Then you need to describe a problem precisely, know what you are entitled to, and press for it without losing the room.

Describing what happened

Be specific and factual — vagueness gets vague answers.

• My flight has been cancelled.
• We've been delayed for four hours.
• My luggage hasn't arrived.
• I've missed my connection because of the delay.
• The room isn't what I booked — I booked a double, this is a single.
• I was charged for something I didn't use.

Note the present perfect throughout: the past event still matters now, which is exactly what it marks.

Asking what happens next

• What are my options?
• What happens now?
• Am I entitled to compensation?
• Who covers the cost of a hotel?
• Can you put me on the next flight?
• How long will it take?

"Am I entitled to…?" is the key phrase. It asks about your rights rather than asking a favour, and it changes the conversation.

The words that decide what you get

Airlines and hotels use precise terms, and using the right one saves an argument:

Term	Means
rebook / reroute	put me on another service
refund	money back
voucher	credit with the same company — usually worth less to you
compensation	a payment for the disruption itself, separate from a refund
duty of care	meals and a hotel while you wait
out of pocket expenses	costs you paid that they should cover
no-show	you didn't turn up — avoid being recorded as this

Two worth insisting on: a refund is not a voucher, and compensation is not the same as getting your money back. Staff will sometimes offer one while you are asking about the other.

Lost luggage

• I'd like to report a missing bag.
• Here's my baggage tag.
• It's a black suitcase with a red label.
• Where should it be delivered?
• What's the reference number?
• Am I able to buy essentials and claim them back?

Get the reference number and write it down. Everything afterwards depends on it.

At the hotel

• The room isn't as described.
• There's no hot water. · The heating isn't working.
• It's directly above the bar — is there anything quieter?
• I was told breakfast was included.
• Could you move us? · Could someone come and look at it?
• I'd like this taken off the bill.

Ask early. A complaint on the last morning about three bad nights gets much less than the same complaint on the first evening.

Pressing without escalating

• I understand it's not your fault, but I do need this resolved.
• Could you check whether there's anything else available?
• Is there someone else I could speak to?
• Could I get that in writing, please?

Acknowledging that the staff member did not cause the problem keeps them on your side, which is practical rather than merely nice.

Getting it in writing

• Could you confirm that by email?
• Could I have that in writing?
• Could I have your name, please?

For anything you may later claim on — insurance, a refund, compensation — written confirmation is the difference between a claim and a story.

Claiming afterwards

Written claims use their own set phrases:

I am writing to claim compensation for flight BA219 on 4 May, which was cancelled at short notice.

I was rebooked onto a flight 26 hours later and incurred hotel costs of £140. Receipts are attached.

Under the applicable regulations I believe I am entitled to compensation, and I would ask you to confirm within 14 days.

Facts, dates, flight number, amount, evidence, deadline. Keep it unemotional — claims are processed by people scanning for those six things.

Collect evidence while it's still in front of you. A photo of the departure board, the name of the person you spoke to, the reference number, the receipts. At the time it feels excessive; three weeks later it's the entire difference between a paid claim and a refused one, and none of it can be reconstructed afterwards.

At the desk after a cancellation

A: I'm afraid the flight's been cancelled. We can put you on tomorrow morning's.

B: That works. Am I entitled to a hotel tonight?

A: We can offer a voucher for a hotel near the airport.

B: Thank you. And is that a rebooking, or would I also be entitled to compensation for the cancellation?

A: You'd need to claim that separately.

B: Understood. Could I have that in writing, and your name? Just for the claim.

Accepting the practical solution, separating the two entitlements, and getting the paperwork — all without a raised voice.

Test yourself

The quiz below is about phrasing that actually gets results.