How to Avoid Flight Delayedness during the Fourth, Labor Day and Thanksgiving Holidays – A Case Study of Christmas Flight Cancellation
The flights that were canceled were highest Friday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, New York’s LaGuardia, Chicago O’Hare, Denver International and Detroit Metro Airport. In Canada, Toronto topped flight cancellations.
US air travelers had a decent run of it over the Fourth, Labor Day and Thanksgiving holidays with good weather. We’re going to see a different story for Christmas.
The timing of the cold blast and storm was very unfortunate for travelers who were trying to join family and friends for the holidays.
But Mother Nature has the final say. “There’s nothing airlines can do to make it safe to land or take off in the midst of a snowstorm, because there’s no amount of safety protocols that airlines can take,” Keyes said.
If your flight gets canceled, consider flying on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, said Kathleen Bangs, a former airline pilot and a spokesperson for FlightAware. There are more flights, but there are also fewer passengers.
“Scheduling the first flight of the day is a great way to avoid flight delays,” Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, told CNN Travel in a recent email. The studies show that the first flights of the day are more likely to leave on time.
Checking DOT’s Airline Customer Service Dashboard to Prevent Oversold Flight Delay Cancellations, Arrival Time, and Interline Agreements
Position yourself close to the agents’ desk, Keyes previously suggested to CNN Travel readers. If you call while you are in line, you have a better chance of getting a resolution quicker.
He also encourages travelers to inquire about interline agreements between airlines. Your airline might be able to get you to your destination by putting you on another carrier.
Bangs encourages travelers to check DOT’s Airline Customer Service Dashboard . While it highlights 10 US carriers’ commitments to passengers for “controllable” disruptions — which many of this week’s cancellations and delays won’t be — it also highlights passengers’ entitlement to a refund.
“If an airline cancels a passenger’s flight or makes a significant change in the flight,, airlines are required to provide a prompt refund to a ticketed passenger, including those with non-refundable tickets, should the passenger choose not to accept the alternative offered, such as rebooking on another flight. Learn more about your right to a refund ,” the DOT site says.
airlines will be looking for volunteers to give up seats and take a later flight with so many oversold flights. You can negotiate better compensation if you have flexibility in your plans.
If passengers are willing to give up their seats, airlines could give them a $250 or $300 travel credit. “You don’t have to take the first offer. Expect that those offers are going to continue to ratchet up,” Keyes said. In many cases, passengers may be able to get $1,000 or more in credits, he said.
Keyes said many credit cards offer reimbursement for expenses such as a hotel if you miss a connection or compensation if your bag gets lost. “But only if you use that credit card to purchase your flight,” Keyes said.
Preventing Auto-injury: Prevention, prevention, and rehydration during a winter storm, a comment on Unifi Aviation CEO Garth Thakkar
• Leave plenty of time. “The number one thing, and I cannot stress this enough, is that you must get to the airport early and well before your flight time,” said Gautam Thakkar, CEO of Unifi Aviation, the largest provider of aviation services in the United States. If you’re travelling with a lot of luggage or packages, it might be best to arrive two hours early.
• Pack light. If you don’t check your bag, all your luggage will arrive safely to your destination. Klee stated that packing light and carrying on is a great way to save money and is also good for your luggage’s safety.
Avoiding travel altogether is the safest thing to do when conditions are poor. The National Weather Service in Chicago tweeted Thursday morning about “life-threatening conditions” Thursday evening through Friday night. Stay on top of the latest forecasts and avoid driving in the weather that is dangerous.
• Ensure the tires have sufficient tread and air pressure, which you can measure with a tire gauge. Replacing worn tires and filling them with air should help with the pressure on your car.
If you don’t keep your car in top working order, it will end up not being worth the trouble.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/holiday-travel-winter-storm-december-2022/index.html
Airlines for America’s Holiday Travel Has Shutdown in the Light of Recent Events at the Complex Aeronautical Facility in Charleston, South Carolina
Industry group Airlines for America said in a recent media briefing that the industry is adding around 4,600 employees a month. The organization said airlines built in reserves and buffers to improve their performance.
The Omicron strain of Covid caused havoc in the company last year because it caused a respiratory triple threat, but while the flu, RSV and Covid are proving to be respiratory threats, they don’t seem to be creating havoc with employees.
“This year, travel time will be extended due to Christmas Day and New Year’s Day falling on Sundays,” said Paula Twidale, AAA’s senior vice president of travel, in a statement.
“With hybrid work schedules, we are seeing more people take long weekends to travel because they can work remotely at their destination and be more flexible with the days they depart and return.”
Winter weather continues to disrupt holiday travel across the United States on Friday, leaving travelers facing delays and cancellations during one of the busiest times of the year.
“The Buffalo Airport Airfield has closed due to hazardous weather conditions,” and all flights scheduled for the evening have been cancelled, according to a tweet from the airport’s official Twitter account
There are ground stops for flights bound for Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, American Airlines’ second largest hub, and Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC because of deicing.
In the Pacific Northwest, FAA notices show flights bound for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Portland International Airport are under ground because of snow and ice.
Airlines have issued winter weather waivers allowing passengers to rebook at no cost within a limited time period. Find links to the airline waivers and more air travel strategies here
“We hear about how travel volume is still down, 5 or 10 percent, but what many folks might not have realized is that the number of flights in the sky is actually down more like 15 or 20 percent,” Scott Keyes of Scott’s Cheap Flights told CNN.
Amtrak Cancellation Alert for Intercity Buses in the Presence of a “Breaking Wall” and an Unexpectedly “Disruption”
“Amtrak will waive additional charges for customers looking to change their reservation during the modified schedule by calling our reservation center at 1-800-USA-RAIL.”
Meanwhile Greyhound, the largest provider of intercity bus service, issued a service alert Thursday evening indicating that trips in the Midwest or upper Northeast may be canceled or disrupted.
In an alert on its website, the company said there were many routes that were canceled for Friday and some that were canceled on Saturday and Sunday. Cities impacted by the cancellations include Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Duluth and Kansas City.
Phillips’ family lives about two hours north of Seattle, so if he did make it to the airport, he says he could’ve been stranded. “They totally shut down the transit, so I’m not sure how I would have left the airport,” he said.
He feels mostly disappointment but not a lot of surprise. “I knew the weather was supposed to be bad, but I was hoping I’d get in before the freezing rain hit,” he added.
If he hadn’t gotten to Seattle on time, he would have missed out on a friend’s holiday party.