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Let’s review each major U.S. carrier and how to reach a phone agent the quickest. You might want to bookmark this page ahead of any July Fourth travel, as it’s an easy one-stop-shop for customer service numbers.

Download the DoNotPay app

This app is helpful in a variety of ways far beyond travel, but it does have a “Jump the phone queue and never wait on hold again” feature where the app will direct your request to the right airlines and forward the call to you after waiting on hold. Head to the “Customer Service” section of the app. It will ask you which company you are having a problem with and you simply respond with the airline you want to call. The app will then ask for a brief description of what you want to talk to the...

Use Twitter

Another solid option is utilizing Twitter. The social media teams for many hotel and airline companies have some of the most competent and responsive customer service reps I’ve ever dealt with. I’ve canceled, changed and rebooked award and revenue tickets on Twitter, in addition to selecting seats, asking complicated questions about award redemptions and even changing a routing for free. When in doubt, shoot a tweet or direct message to handles like @Delta and @United, and you may be pleasant...

Try a foreign call center

As previously mentioned, dialing a foreign call center is another great strategy for reaching agents in a more reasonable amount of time. This requires an app such as Skype, Talkatone, Viber or Google Voice to make the calls affordable. Some of my go-to call centers are Singapore (+65 6823 2095) and Hong Kong (+852 3002 1208) for British Airways; the Japan call center (+81 3 3298 4719) for Etihad Airways; the Australia call center (+61 02-9101-1948 ) for American; and the Japan call center (+...

Elite status members of an airline’s frequent flyer programusually have access to different phone numbers and can enjoy shorter wait times and potentially better service. But not everyone has elite status — and during peak times, even elites may be faced with a lengthy queue. Exercising these tips can really come in handy for just about anyone. Add...