Winter Storm Stella: FCM Emergency Travel Best Practices

Monitoring your flights

With advanced technology in this day and age, airlines and FCM make sure you have all of the information you need:

• Sign up for the FCM mobile application, Sam (available in the Apple store) which provides push notifications on flight status and gate updates on your mobile device.   FCM Sam stores all of your upcoming itineraries in one location, provides you instant access to your flight details and also allows you to check in for flights.  The app also includes airport guides and weather forecasts.   This can address many questions about schedules and any impacted flights rather than actual flight changes required.  A high percentage of incoming ECC (Emergency Customer Care) calls are schedule information only questions and FCM wants to make sure you and your travelers have as much information as possible readily available.  
• Airlines also offer additional ways to receive alerts including via email, voice and text messaging.  We also recommend you sign up for alerts from your respective airline.  You can do this in your frequent flyer profile, or when you check in online, 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure time.    
• We recommend utilizing the airline’s website or app to check the status of your flight.  All storm information and waivers are periodically updated on the airline website and pushed to the app.    

Need to make changes?  FCM is here to assist.

• If you want to cancel or make a change before the airline publishes a waiver, the airline will assess the normal change/cancellation fees.  
  What is a waiver?  Where severe weather events are impacting airline operations, the airlines may issue a waiver which allows customers to change their travel plans with no fee, subject to certain limitations.
• If your flight is cancelled, and you still wish to travel, contact your FCM team or FCM Emergency Customer Care (if afterhours) to rebook your flights.
• If your flight is cancelled, and you are unable to revise your travel plans, contact FCM Emergency Customer Care.  We will request a refund from the airline if applicable or record your ticket for future use.  
• You may also check directly with your airlines via their website to see if there are travel alerts and waivers mentioned, some airlines may allow you to make changes free of charge directly on the website, but when in doubt, FCM is here to assist!

Reaching us is easy! 

• As always, we have our wholly owned and operated emergency travel line open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week including all holidays.  Call your FCM office and your call will be forwarded to ECC or use the toll free number listed on your travel itinerary.   
• We also suggest, when travel plans allow, that you accept a call-back or email with your updated travel plans.  This will eliminate your hold time while we liaise with the airlines/hotels.