Already thankful for the additional days since the airline moved our connecting flight up several hours and it is highly unlikely we will connect.
Call them! Well, first look at the website to see what other flights they have that might work, choose one or two, and then call them. For changes of an hour or more (or so) they should change you without fees.
Is the traveler responsible for all fees out of pocket, or do they bill you?
If you're traveling to another port, that cost is on you unless you booked air with that cruiseline as a package.
If you got trip insurance, you'll file a claim and be reimbursed. And while you CAN do it in Europe, there are many cruise itineraries where it's simply impossible to catch up to the ship due to the laws. If you have a 3 or 4 night Bahamas, well there's no airline that goes to Castaway, and I am not sure if you CAN board at Nassau due to...PVSA? Jones Act? One of them is passengers and one of them is cargo and I can never remember which one. Or if your itinerary includes a stop at Key West, whether or not you can board later depends on if you have already stopped at Key West or not. Or something like that.
Anyway, it gets complicated.
What happens when it’s the travelers fault like getting a flat on the way to the airport, or getting stuck in traffic?
Getting a flat tire on the way to the airport is generally something they'll accommodate when you do get to the airport. It's those cases where you want to be on an airline that HAS more flights that day, and perhaps has many flights all around, so you're not stuck just looking at one set of flights. If you're on Spirit or Allegiance you're likely not leaving until the next day. If you're on Delta, you have a lot more chances that they can get you on something quickly.
My STBX once missed a flight out of south america by 24 hours (details are lost to time, but the
travel agent messed up BIG time with a middle of the night flight, and we didn't catch it). The airline was happy to help and didn't charge more. They ended up routing him through a city in Texas where he had to stay the night, and we had friends there so he just stayed with them rather than charging his company for a hotel night (though the TA should have booked a night *somewhere* to begin with, which is one of the messups on her end).
We're from Texas, so winter weather isn't an issue with flights from our airport.
Eek. Early December Dallas Ice Storm... You do get winter weather sometimes! And it messes EVERYTHING up when it does. Ex was trying to get out of then back to Dallas inside of 24 hours (for our son's first dance company performance) and it was a nail-biter! Only reason he got back to Seattle was b/c his cab driver was brave and safe at the same time, and they just barely missed a jackknifed truck on the exit ramp getting HOURS early to the airport to his much-changed flight. Then from the moment he landed until when the performance started we were on hold with American, securing his flight back. He missed the 24 hour mark by a few hours but it worked out. And were on the phone for nearly 2 days making it happen. Every time the airline automatically booked him into something it was DAYS later. At one point we were both on the phone and on laptops, finding flights that even the phone agents weren't refreshing fast enough to see.
Anyway, you can end up with issues. It's just rare.
I had to deal with the kerfuffle of the potential WestJet pilot strike right before we were leaving for our Alaskan cruise a few weeks ago, over Memorial Day weekend.
I think you posted here, too? I just looked it up and was glad to see that what most people were telling you was correct; the threat worked (as it almost always does) and the actual strike was avoided.
Airlines will do their best to forward your luggage to try and meet up with you.
Yes. We were on Royal December 2016 and a family was waiting for their bags. We were at St Kitts, everyone was boarded, and we got word that the next plane landing had their bags. We were on an aft balcony and the ship was positioned so we could watch the island, and we watched the plane come in, then not too long later saw the van careening towards the port. It was kinda neat. We'd embarked on the 16th and this was late afternoon of the 18th by the time they got their bags.
The funny thing (now it's funny) is that everyone on the ship knew about our lost luggage, port to port to port. In the spa, "Oh you're the ones with the lost luggage !" in the gym, "Heard about your luggage, you can borrow a dress if you need one".
Oh definitely. I don't even know HOW that news travels on a ship, but it does. Though of course if you see people sweltering in Northern winter clothing, it's not THAT hard to work out. But the nice thing is that everyone is pulling for those families, and they are happy to celebrate with and for them when the bags arrive!!!