Suffering from Terrible Holiday Travel? This TikTok Lawyer Can Help
Learn some travel tips and strategies to get refunded, save money, and problem solve.
Suppose you are one of the thousands of people who have experienced a delayed or canceled flight this holiday season, either because of winter weather or COVID-19 related complications. In that case, you know how difficult it is to navigate customer service in the aftermath. There are endless hold lines, just following up emails, and constant hoops to jump through, and there's no guarantee you'll get your money back, find your baggage, or get booked on the next flight.
You could strain your eyes combing through fine print trying to navigate the loopholes, or you could follow Erika Kullberg on TikTok. Her page, called Money Lawyer Erika, is brimming with tips on every subject, from getting free toothpaste to navigating the complicated world of air travel. And she's not just calling herself a lawyer; she is the CEO of Plug and Law and an attorney who graduated from Georgetown Law, so Kullberg has bonafide credentials.
If your flight is delayed, she has the language you need to get your airline to book a hotel for you and bump your seat to first class. If your flight is overbooked and you get bumped, Kullberg has a script you can use to get compensated for up to four times the value of your one-way ticket.
Some of her tips are a bit more obvious for the seasoned traveler, but if you're new to the world of credit card points and miles, there's even more you can learn. Kullberg has tips on converting your points to flights, seat upgrades, and other travel perks.
The clips are short, but they provide great insight into some of the protections you are entitled to as a consumer–knowledge that never hurts to know. For every travel woe, from damaged bags to being asked to volunteer for a later flight, Kullberg has broken down the terms and conditions, so any challenges you encounter will hurt your pockets as little as possible. In some scenarios, you may even be able to profit.
Opheli Garcia Lawler is a staff writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia.