Missed connections and busted rentals can’t be avoided, but that doesn’t mean you have to grin and bear it.

Jeanne O’Brien’s business trip to Scotland wasn’t going well. A one-hour delay on her British Airways flight from Philadelphia to London last February forced the 37-year-old editor to miss her connection to Glasgow. Instead of attending a planned meeting, she was stuck for five hours picking over granola and crustless bread in the first-class lounge. Even worse, the airline misrouted her bags, which didn’t reach her until three days into her five-day trip. Except for a British Airways T-shirt, some toiletries and a £35 stipend to spend on clothes, O’Brien was out of luck. “I had to attend three formal dinners in basically the clothes I wore on the plane. Then I had to fight with the airline for 40 minutes on the way back to get reimbursed for the money they said I could spend on clothes. No one even apologized,” she sighs.

Unfortunately, any seasoned traveler knows her situation isn’t unique. In a time when companies are cutting corners everywhere they can to stay competitive, it seems that customer service is often the first sacrifice. Still, there are ways road warriors can effectively complain and get results, even when it seems like no one wants to listen.

Lost and damaged luggage

Perhaps nothing is more aggravating than lost or damaged luggage. But no matter how weary you are from the flight, stick it out. “Don’t leave. Go immediately to the baggage office with your baggage claims and boarding pass. It just makes everything go more smoothly,” advises Delta Air Lines spokesperson Benet J. Wilson. Ultimately, the airline has to fix the situation or pay, and it will go much more smoothly if you handle it right after landing. If you leave the airport with a damaged bag before reporting it, odds are the carrier won’t accept responsibility.

For domestic U.S. flights, the government allows up to $2,500 in compensation for lost and damaged bags. Most carriers won’t offer that up easily, though, preferring to repair or replace the luggage itself. Airlines are also responsible for the condition of your contents, but they will argue fragile items weren’t properly packed and that everything else has depreciated since you bought it. If you’re willing to take a travel voucher instead of cash, you’ll almost always get more compensation. Reimbursement is generally less for international flights, at $9.07 per pound up to 70 pounds. If money’s no object, avoid the baggage carousel stress altogether by paying a company like LuggageFree (800-361-6871, www.luggagefree.com) or Luggage Express (866-SHIPBAGS, www.866shipbags.com) to pick up your bags at home and ship them to where you’re going. Such white glove service runs a minimum of $85 a bag.

For domestic U.S. flights, the government allows up to $2,500 in compensation for lost and damaged bags. Most carriers won’t offer that up easily, though, preferring to repair or replace the luggage itself.

Inferior hotel rooms

The fall-off in travel the past few years has meant the old bugaboo of one’s room being overbooked (“being walked” in hospitality slang) now occurs with far less frequency. Unfortunately, that hassle has been replaced by inferior, run-down rooms lacking easy Internet access, comfortable beds and even clean sheets. “Hotels have failed miserably to reinvest in the quality of the room the past five years, and they just expect travelers to accept it,” says David Witham, vice-president of hotel and car relations worldwide for Carlson Wagonlit Travel. One secret hotels don’t tell you: They often undergo “soft” remodels in stages, replacing beds, jazzing up decor and upgrading amenities over time. This means the same class of room at the same property can be radically different, says Elizabeth Bernstein, a meeting planner with Gaddis Events in Seattle, Wash. If you’re dissatisfied with what you get, ask if there are any recently renovated rooms you can move to, she suggests. If not, it’s worth telling managers on-site your concerns anyway, since they are generally empowered to dole out upgrades and perks.

Missed connections

It’s happened to nearly everyone: Inclement weather conditions or mechanical problems result in a missed connection or a night in a strange city. The bad news is that airlines generally don’t have to do a thing, especially when delays are caused by circumstances beyond the control of the airline itself (e.g., weather). Each one has language in its tickets that exempts it from responsibility for missed connections and unintended overnights. Still, that doesn’t mean you’ll be using your carry-on as a pillow, since airlines will do whatever they can to get you rescheduled and on your way to your destination, says Delta’s Wilson. In every case, the best policy is to ask if the airline is giving hotel or meal vouchers, since often airlines won’t announce they have them available. Check the airline’s contract of carriage (usually available on the Web site or at ticket counters) under Rule 240 to see in writing what your airline has committed to offering and the circumstances required.

The situation is different in Europe, however. In February of this year, the European Union began requiring airlines to compensate passengers for delays on flights operated by an E.U.-based airline or any flight originating at an E.U. airport. Flights delayed more than two, three or four hours (depending on distance and destination) mean passengers are entitled to meals, refreshments and hotels. Delays longer than five hours result in a full refund and free flight back to the original point of departure. The best part for waylaid travelers is that very rarely are airlines now allowed to claim the old crutch of weather as an “extraordinary circumstance” that exempts them from paying up.

Rental car breakdowns

You’re rushing to get to a client meeting when your rental car conks out, leaving you stuck at the side of the road. It’s more common than you might think—complaints about faulty equipment run neck and neck with high taxes and wait times as the most common complaints about auto rentals. Of the three, none can be more damaging than a lemon rental. The best advice: Concentrate on getting a replacement car as soon as possible. If a rental office is nearby, insist a replacement car be driven to you, and let the person who drops the car off wait with the clunker. If there’s not an office within a reasonable distance, make the rental firm arrange the tow and your taxi, since they will typically refuse to reimburse you if you arrange it otherwise.

The key with rental car companies, says Carlson Wagonlit’s Witham, is to demand specifically what the car company should do for you at that moment. “The more you push, the louder you’re heard,” he says. Some locations balk at dropping off a replacement car, so one effective argument is to emphasize to the person on the phone that you contracted for a working vehicle, so it’s their responsibility to provide you with one.

Security procedures

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who disagrees with good airport security, but that doesn’t mean travelers don’t find it the most maddening aspect of flying, says Randy Petersen, head of WebFlyer, a network of frequent flier Web sites (and an Executive Travel contributor). Much of the frustration with the TSA is the seemingly random rules about what’s allowed on a plane and what’s not. Just recently, Petersen, who collects matchbooks, was forced to surrender two of three matchbooks he had in his carry-on. In these cases, either mail the item to yourself at one of the increasingly common mail kiosks near security, or calmly plead your case with the screening supervisor. If you’re carrying something more dangerous, like a knife, chalk it up as your mistake and stay calm, say experts, since TSA agents now have wide purview to levy fines up to $150 on the spot for forbidden items. If you’ve been treated unfairly, speak with the supervisor or send an email to
tsa-contactcenter@dhs.gov. If the TSA damaged your luggage, fill out a form online, preemptively arguing the problem was the agency’s fault, since the TSA will try and pass blame to the airline.

Whatever situation travelers find themselves in, experts say the two best ways to effectively negotiate are to be sure and ask for special favors, since they won’t usually be offered, and to complain firmly but not angrily. Whenever someone promises something, get their full name, since it makes them accountable in case they were just telling you something to get rid of you. Try to be realistic, too: You’ll never get “damages” for a bum car rental causing you to miss a meeting or a full fare refund if your first-class seat was busted. If you still aren’t satisfied, vote with your wallet when you can and use a different provider. If you’re really, really upset, consider consulting Traveler’s Rights, a recently published guide by the nonprofit Consumer Travel Rights Center (CTRC), which details legal options for those caught in an airline, hotel or car rental nightmare. Says CTRC’s Pat Funk, “Short of being pushy, you just have to be determined to get what you deserve.”

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Brendan Coffey is a freelance writer in New Jersey. Email Brendan at editor@executivetravelmag.com.