Say This, Not That: A Travel Rights Attorney’s Scripts for Senior Travelers

You have rights at every airport counter, every gate, and every boarding door. Most airlines are counting on you not knowing that.

If you've ever walked away from a flight situation feeling dismissed, confused, or cheated — and wondered if there was something you should have said — this book was written for you.

Say This, Not That: A Travel Rights Attorney's Scripts for Senior Travelers gives you the exact words that invoke your federal protections, get you the refund you're owed, and change the entire dynamic of a conversation with an airline employee.

Inside this book you'll discover:

The five words that summon a federally mandated airline advocate to your side — on the spot, at the gate, in real time Why a cancelled flight always means a refund — not a voucher — and exactly how to say so The truth about Medicare and international travel that nobody tells you at the travel agent's desk (including the 6-hour cruise ship rule that affects millions of senior travelers every year) Word-for-word scripts for delays, cancellations, bumping, lost bags, wheelchair assistance, and more How to invoke the Air Carrier Access Act, the Department of Transportation's refund rules, and European Union Regulation 261/2004 — by name, calmly, and effectively The phrases that quietly work against you — and what to say instead A complete Master Script Reference you can bookmark and return to before every trip This is not a book about being aggressive. It is a book about being prepared. The goal is calm confidence — the kind that comes from knowing that when something goes wrong, you will not be left standing at a counter wondering what to say.

You will know exactly what to say.

Say This, Not That is written by Kim Kirkley, JD, MSW — retired attorney, social worker, travel rights strategist, and founder of SeniorSavvyTravel.com, where she has built a community of just under 200,000 savvy senior travelers by sharing one simple truth: the airlines are counting on you not knowing your rights.

That ends here.

A note on the real travelers in these pages:

Paula used to run for connections. She tore her meniscus doing it. After reading Kim's work, she traveled again — weather delay, tight connection, cross-airport switch — and didn't run once. She made her flight to Portugal with 30 minutes to spare and messaged Kim afterward: "Your advice saved us a lot of stress — and possibly my health."

Morgan Jackson wrote in a comment: "As a person with a disability, I thank you. I advocate for myself, but this language helps. I've been charged for stuff when I should not have."

She already knew her rights. She just didn't have the words.

Now you do.