Travel in and out of Washington DC will slowly get back to normal after this weekend’s epic snowstorm. Until the next time and while it may be too late for a current trip, here are a few tips for increasing your chances of avoiding trouble the next time a snowstorm plants itself in the midst of your travel plans.
1. Book nonstops. This might sound obvious but the more takeoffs and landings, the more chances that any given airport might have weather delays. While a connecting flight could be cheaper, that’s small consolation if you can’t get where you need to be.
2. If a nonstop is not an option, pay extra attention to connections. For a number of reasons: tight connections in bad weather become more problematic. Connections through warmer weather airports are generally safer. Flying on AA choose Dallas over Chicago in the winter. Changing airlines, always a little problematic, becomes even riskier when connecting airports are smothered in snow.
3. Choose longer flights rather than shorter ones. They are more likely to fly than short hops. If you are flying Philadelphia to San Diego, for example, connecting in Los Angeles means you have a long haul flight first, which is more likely to depart, than say a connection through Charlotte or Newark.
4. If you are flying on a connecting flight into an airport that may experience bad weather, try to get as close as possible with the first flight. If it’s driving or train distance, you may be able to complete the journey without waiting for the airport to reopen.
5. All things being equal, if you are flying to a place that might have bad weather, consider using an airline with a number of flights into or out of that airport. For example, United may have a lot of canceled flights in and out of Dulles, but they have a lot of planes and thus more options for flights on different dates.
If your airline has only one or two flights to a city each day, it may be much harder to get a booking when the airport reopens. (And while airlines may accept another carriers passengers, they are lower priority than their own.)
6. Consider starting a relationship with a travel agent. Preferably one who will answer emails most weekends, or with a good after-hours service. (Note, this does not mean just calling or emailing a friend’s travel agent with a online ticket problem, unless you plan to start using them in future.)
7. If it is one of those storms with a lot of advance notice, try to look into options like limousines or airport hotels in advance too. (For example, in Washington, DC, most car services are not taking new reservations now until late Monday or Tuesday.)
8. Plan on carry-on luggage. Airports are slow to get back to normal after a big storm. Especially when the roads are still a mess. (Workers may not be able to drive to their jobs.) A client today flew into Dulles and waited 90 minutes for his bags.
9. Keep a good book you’ve been meaning to read handy. A snowed-in layover makes a great excuse to indulge.
10. Try to keep a sense of humor. Today’s travel disaster might end up being tomorrow’s great story.
photo by jess j of dulles in snow, flickr.com/creat
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
