11/1    dear motd travel agent / airline hassle advisor:
        I was scheduled and confirmed on an international flight through
        Northwest airlines that leaves less than two weeks from now. I got a
        call letting me know the flight has been cancelled. They have offered
        to reschedule me on an alternate itinerary but it's pretty crappy,
        involving an additional stopover and a long layover. Can I demand a
        flight that would work better for me (there seems to be one available)
        or do I have to put up with the alternative they gave me? any advice
        on how to bitch them out to get what I want?
        \_ You can get basically anything you can talk your way into, from
           free tickets to first class upgrades.  In fact, it is possible to
           pick up a payphone and call customer service from the airport
           the second you get fucked and go out on a flight two hours later,
           upgraded to first class, while the other suckers from the same
           flight sit in the airport and bitch.  The key is to have a written
           list of grievances against the airline to use as a crib sheet while
           you're on the phone, and to be polite but
           forcefull and consistent, always reiterating your grievances and
           pushing for compensation.
        \_ No, but the Travel Tab feature of AvantGo will help you keep track
           of your wildly changing itinerary.  Plug plug.  --dbushong
        \_ It all depends on how much of a damage you're suffering from.
           If the reschedule puts you at your destination more than 3-4 hrs
           later than the original time, you may request some kind of a con-
           sideration. This applies to both paid and award/miles travel, so
           do call NW and ask (nicely!) what they can do for you. Good luck!
           \_ NW has been good to me in the past.  They've even compensated
              me for times when I've been an idiot and missed flights.  I'd
              say to try nicely to get what you want for free (seeing how
              you've already given them money), and if they don't play nice,
              you can always talk with someone else and register a complaint.