Winter Air Travel Trying at Times

February 2013 Was Not Always Travel Friendly

There has been lots to talk about this winter when it comes to weather. Huge storms have moved across the country on numerous occasions creating travel headaches for many, including our Judy.

Departing Phoenix in early February on a beautiful sunny morning she found her flight departure delayed an hour, with no explanation why. It was almost certainly due to weather, not in Phoenix, but somewhere else. Huge storms were moving across the southern states, it was going to be a challenging travel day for everyone.

When she did arrive in Chicago she found her connecting flight to Syracuse had been cancelled, again due to weather somewhere besides Chicago. The option she was offered was a later flight to Newark, and then a flight to Syracuse the next morning. So it meant a stopover.

This couple had been two days waiting for a flight

Problem with this scenario was the forecast weather for Syracuse the next day - big snow was on the way, which could mean more flight delays and possibly another overnight if she wasn't able to drive home.

She made an appeal to a sympathetic customer care agent (not ticket agent) at the airport, who was able to find her a seat later in the day to Syracuse on another airline. It was a very rough ride due to weather, but she got there. She still had the drive home, another two hours, late in the day, and you're tired.

As I write this today, the eastern part of the U.S., extending into Canada is still in recovery from a record breaking snow event this weekend. The usual stuff, thousands without power, property damage, and lives upset. On February 9 alone, almost 6,000 flight were cancelled. You see the problem.

Lesson in all of this: plan for delays, and be happy when it doesn't happen. Go prepared.