• Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
      • Hair News
      • Natural
      • Relaxed
      • Transitioning
      • Weave
      • 4C
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · Lifestyle

Here's What You Should Do If You're Stranded In The Airport This Summer

Being stranded at an airport is never fun or ideal, but there are ways you can mitigate your stress levels during the uncomfortable experience.
Here’s What You Should Do If You’re Stranded In The Airport This Summer
Getty
By Dominique Fluker · Updated June 22, 2023

Recently, en route to Los Angeles from a work trip in South Carolina, I found myself stranded at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, at 9:00 pm on a Sunday night. As you can imagine, this scenario wasn’t ideal for me. Let me break down exactly what happened. At 4 pm, a group of passengers was quickly shuttled into a small rickety plane in Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, eager to head to Charlotte, North Carolina, to catch our connecting flights back to our homes. However, once we got settled in our seats, several complications happened on the plane among the flight crew, and turbulent weather (watch out for those Southern summer rainstorms) when traveling caused us to be severely delayed for about four hours. 

Unfortunately, the pilot and stewardess weren’t helpful and sounded annoyed when we asked questions, so we were left up to our devices to rebook our connecting flights. Unfortunately, given that we were delayed for hours, most of us missed our second connecting flight. We wound up stranded in Charlotte without hotel vouchers, as the airline argued that there was nothing to be done on their end, given we experienced thunderous storms. Thankfully, I could get another direct flight to Los Angeles, but it wouldn’t leave until 10:00 am the next day. So, I was stranded in a strange Southern city I knew nothing about. 

As much as I tried to keep my cool during the entire ordeal, I was frustrated, scared, and anxious. I’ve never been to Charlotte, North Carolina, before, and especially not at 9:00 pm at night. While I had a girlfriend that lived in North Carolina, she was about three hours away, and it didn’t make sense to commute that far to leave the next morning. I had to think quickly, as I had two options, spend the night at the airport or try to find an affordable but decent boutique hotel to spend the night at. I ended up finding a cute hotel that was under $200 a night. The next day, with minimal delays, I boarded my flight to Los Angeles; surprisingly, it was the first time I was happy to return home. 

In hindsight, the experience could’ve been worse, but I’m here to guide you through what to do if you happen to be stranded at an airport while traveling this summer. See my tried and true tips below. 

Speak to your airport customer service immediately: 

Because I diligently contacted my airport customer service line while delayed on the plane, I could find out if any additional flights were outside of the one already rebooked. Once I found out that I would miss the last flight out to Los Angeles, I was able to grapple with my reality, figuring out what to do in Charlotte. 

Call/text your loved ones: 

It’s important to keep your tribe updated on your whereabouts; even if you are anxious and frustrated, they don’t know what’s happening and hope you safely make it to your destination. Also, your community can help you find accommodations while waiting on real-time updates. 

Make sure all your electronics are charged: 

Given that I had my portable charger and laptop fully charged, I could quickly look up the hotels in Charlotte without spending extra time at the airport. 

Know when to cut your losses: 

At some point, it’s important to accept the situation so you can start thinking of viable solutions. I knew after a while that the airline wouldn’t be much help, so I searched for accommodations in Charlotte. 

TOPICS:  ask a travel journalist black travel stories
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now