Christmas may be over, but winter weather travel disasters are probably just beginning. So far this season, London Heathrow has been basically shut for a few days, and the New York area airports are just thinking about reopening after more than a 24-hour closure.
Frequent travelers with tight schedules have learned over the years that some airports are a potential recipe for disaster — Chicago’s O’Hare, Newark and Denver all come to mind as having regular weather delays, although Denver has improved with the new airport.
But sometimes those airports are unavoidable. and sometimes, as with this year, they’re not the normal worst culprits. JFK, while known for its tarmac delays, actually doesn’t usually have that many canceled flights; transcontinental and international flights almost always take off eventually. Of course, this is small comfort to stranded short-haul travelers.
Looking forward, however, while it’s not a bad idea to choose airports in warm weather destinations, it is only on rare occasions that places like Dallas, Atlanta and Charlotte get so much snow that they really can’t cope.
On the other hand, while Minneapolis was snowed under last month, in general, they deal with snow very well. Ditto, O’Hare airport has de-icing down to a science. And they clear runways fast. (Flying through Chicago yesterday, while I noticed the entire area around the airport covered in snow, and some snow piled up near airport building, the runways were clear and delays were minimal.)
Snow isn’t always the culprit. Another winter weather issue can simply be rain and low clouds, a particular problem in San Francisco, which operates with only one of two runways open when visibility is restricted.
Then there’s the “How can my flight between two warm destinations be delayed for weather? (A question most travel agents are all too familiar with.) Alas, you may be booked between Los Angeles and Honolulu, but your plane may have started out the morning in the snow.
Either the equipment itself is stuck, or a crew can easily be stuck or delayed. Though airlines do have flexibility in changing crews, it’s difficult at the last minute and even crew members on “reserve” need to get to the airport or be moved to where problems erupt.
In addition, even if everything else is going well, a flight can be delayed for landing or takeoff because a previously delayed flight has priority, especially if that delay has led to a fuel issue.
Actually despite all the weather issues, air travel is probably, when all is said and done, the most reliable form of winter transportation. (Amtrak is less affected by weather, but less reliable even in sunshine, except perhaps the East Coast Acela trains.) Most of the time, being completely stranded by a storm is more a worry than an actuality.
There is one common lesson from all the weather headline stories past, present and future: If possible, when it’s a really special event, or a cruise or tour where arrival on or by a certain day is critical, try to book flights arrive at least a day early. You can play the odds perfectly, but Mother Nature always holds the trump card.
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.)
