One of the pains of living in the spoke of a spoke-and-hub travel world is that trip delays aren't an inconvenience - they are a way of life. I was reminded of that lesson the hard way this weekend, when taking my end-of-year mileage run from Columbus to San Francisco. Once again, I did everything right: I left work on time, plotted out a fast way to the airport, and arrived to check my bag 90 minutes ahead of schedule. My planning was so good, in fact, that I was able to swing through the TSA checkpoint without any trouble, and I was sitting in my gate with a good hour to spend doing whatever I wished to do.

It was a shame that I ended up spending that hour scrambling between two gates and five gate agents as the result of a trip delay that originated out of Newark, trying to make a connection in Chicago that was never meant to be. What's worse, is that I wasn't alone - at least five other people were stuck trying to make a connection to San Francisco, and the delay from was affecting people going to Newark as well.

I've blogged about surviving trip delay in the past. And in this case, it helped a little bit. But it didn't take away the frustration that I was stuck between either going home for the night and getting 12 hours less time to play in San Francisco on Saturday, or potentially being stuck at Chicago O'Hare airport all night (even though I do love that airport). Ultimately, I ended up forging on and risking the awkward overnight stay at O'Hare - just to be pleasantly greeted at the gate by an agent who already had a hotel and meal voucher waiting for me, as well as my rebooked tickets for the next morning. It's the little things that can make everything better. 

This was a situation that I was grateful for travel insurance - as it may have helped if I didn't have the assistance of the airline. But even without an extra ace in the hole, there are ways  that I could have used to get through the trip delay:

• Know the cause of your trip delay
  As we learned from the Q & A with United President & CEO Jeff Smisek, irregular operations are just that - irregular. But there are different reasons why the irregular operations are happening. Sometimes, it's weather - and sometimes, its operational error. By using flight tracking websites (and in some cases, the cargo website of the carrier), you can find out why the flight is delayed - and make an attempt to get some recompense as a result.
• Be aware of your surroundings
  Gate agents are worked very hard - especially in the midst of a trip delay, when they have a line of angry passengers. And sometimes, that gate agent in the middle of the mix isn't the best one to deal with. It's ok to seek another gate agent that isn't busy with another group, or in the best case scenario, a customer service center. By stepping out of the storm, you've got a fresh set of eyes that might be more willing to help you in the event of a bad situation.
• Know all your options
  There's no way around it - the trip delay has left you stuck, and there's nothing left to do but figure out your next move. What's worse, you don't have a voucher from the airline to help you out. In many cases, you can ask your airline to help with a "distressed traveler rate" at a local hotel. The "distressed traveler" situation allows for a discount on a hotel room that you can use to at least get some sleep and freshen up before your next leg. And hopefully not get stuck again.

After all was said and done, my end-of-year mileage run was a fantastic success, despite the trip delay bringing it to a rough start. I got to see family, accidentally reconnected with old friends, and once again got bonus points for making it through the situation. All to get back on the plane 25 hours later, and come back to my life already in progress. Now I can't wait for my next one in January - crossing my fingers that there won't be another trip delay there as well.

Do you know of any better ways to get through a trip delay, or try and get some assistance as a result of one? I'd really like to hear them - let me know in the comments below!