By Allison Pohle

This column originally appeared in the WSJ Travel newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it in your inbox every Friday.

I spent the night in the Indianapolis airport two weeks ago. I figure it's a rite of passage for a travel reporter. But it wasn't fun.

What I thought would be a quick, two-hour flight from LaGuardia to O'Hare turned into a more than 12-hour saga. It included spending more than six hours on the aircraft, plus hours on a foam mat under fluorescent lights while stuck at the airport.

It's a miserable experience other travelers may encounter this summer. This is the season of frequent severe weather events, which sometimes trigger unexpected diversions or cancellations. Hotel rooms are often sold out late at night -- as they were in my case -- and airports usually have few comforts to offer beyond a blanket or, if you're lucky, a sleep mat.

Here's what I learned:

Pack extra snacks

I boarded my flight on a Friday evening, thinking I would have dinner once I landed in Chicago. That didn't happen. As we spent hours circling Lansing, Mich., because of weather, I scrounged the bottom of my backpack for anything -- crackers, chocolate, you name it. Now I won't board a plane without lots of snacks.

Call for help

After taking off late, then circling Lansing, my flight was ultimately diverted to Indianapolis. The pilots told us we would be on our way after refueling. Then we encountered a tech glitch: The flight path wouldn't load on the computer. By the time that was resolved, our crew had timed out.

As we finally pulled into the gate, I called United's premier desk (I have silver status) to get rebooked on another flight. I was able to skip the long customer-service line snaking around the terminal once we finally deplaned.

Pay attention to why you are delayed

The pilots made frequent announcements about our flight status. I wrote these down in the notes app on my phone to prepare for my claim. When overnight delays are due to issues within the airlines' control, they are required to provide hotels and transportation to and from that accommodation.

It never hurts to ask for compensation

I stayed in the airport because hotels in Indianapolis were sold out due to graduations, sports tournaments and the prequalifying rounds for the Indy 500. I eventually flew out on a 6 a.m. flight to O'Hare. Once I returned to NYC, I filed a refund claim on United's website and asked the airline to refund my flight.

United wasn't legally obligated to do so because I did eventually get on a flight to Chicago. But I felt the experience wasn't representative of the airline's standards and warranted a refund. I also asked for compensation for the hotel night I missed in Chicago.

Don't give up

It took a lot of back and forth with United to get something in return. (At no point in the claims process, or during the airport overnight, did I identify myself as a reporter.) I automatically received a link giving me the choice of miles or a $100 travel voucher. Once I returned from the trip, I filed my claims on the website, including a separate reimbursement claim for the hotel.

After multiple, back-and-forth emails detailing my experience, I received $150 in cash for the night at the airport. I also received a $105.44 future flight credit (rather than a refund for the flight). This was particularly frustrating, as the customer representative told me I had been issued a full refund. And I got 2,500 miles as a goodwill gesture. Each step of the way, I asked the representatives how they came up with the compensation.

Later, I asked United to comment on this experience. A spokesman said travelers need to file claims to receive $150 for a night spent at the airport, otherwise "we won't necessarily know how they fared in their effort to find a room." Per its policy, United doesn't reimburse prepaid hotel rooms, the spokesman said.

As it turns out, the $105 flight credit was a fluke. I wasn't supposed to get this because I did ultimately travel from Indianapolis to Chicago on United, rather than finding another way there. The agents split my ticket into a new booking. This meant that one segment of my flight showed up as "unused," the spokesman said. The $105 is a refund for the "canceled" flight.

Write to Allison Pohle at allison.pohle@wsj.com

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May 31, 2025 07:00 ET (11:00 GMT)

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