How To Survive Bad Weather When You Are Traveling

Airline delays are never fun, but I find weather delays and bad weather to be the most frustrating of all. Maybe it has to do with assessing culpability. Unlike a mechanical issue, which is on the airlines, there’s simply no one to blame and your rights are few and far between.

You can’t beat a storm, but you can prepare.

If a delay or cancellation is due to bad weather, you can’t insist on flying on another airline. The airline doesn’t have to provide a hotel room. Heck, they don’t even have to spring for an $8 voucher that will barely buy you coffee and a muffin.

With Thanksgiving coming up and storms heading up the east coast and toward the midwest, you need to prepare for this year to be as ugly as ever. Planes are flying full and reallocating customers from even a few flights is difficult. If you lose a full day of flights, those passengers may never leave the airport and Thanksgiving dinner could come from Hudson News.*

You can’t beat a storm, but you can prepare. Here are a few tips that you may not have already thought about.

Before You Go to The Airport

Trying to go from this… | Photo Credit: Unsplash

Program the airline’s phone number into your phone. The last thing that you want to do is get a text in the middle of the day that your flight is cancelled and not be able to find a phone number. Feel free to request a customer service rep who speaks Spanish, since the wait there might be shorter (They’ll speak English, also.). Most automated services run on voice commands now. Also, if the airline offers a call-back when it is your turn to speak to a representative, take advantage of it. Those systems actually seem to work.**
Find an alternative flight. There are probably several ways to get to your destination, on your own carrier or on somebody else. If you’re on a low-cost carrier, they probably won’t pay for you to fly on somebody else, but many of the major carriers will do so, even if they aren’t required to. When I had issues on Delta last year, they offered me a seat on United if my flight was cancelled. True, the airline representative can look for you, as well, but if you’ve already done the research, you can offer the suggestions that work best for you.
Get seat assignments. I’m shocked at how many people go to the airport without seat assignments. Yes, it may cost you a few bucks to pick particular seats, but that’s okay. If an airline is overbooked, it’s a lot easier to bump somebody who doesn’t have a seat assignment than one who does.
Make sure to pack plenty of snacks for your kids. Here’s how we do it: We try and determine the maximum amount of food that our children can go through on the flight. Then we double it. Then we double it again. Then we triple it. Then we double it again. That’s usually good enough to get us through the first hour.

At The Airport

Assuming that you are unable to get your ticket issues fixed ahead of time…

When there is bad weather, the lines will likely be long at the ticket counter, so use an automated kiosk if you can. The airline will likely have an employee or two wandering around the lobby to help people on the self-service stations to keep lines shorter.
Membership counts. If you are an elite member, you’ll have access to a special line. Make sure to use it. If you have TSA pre-check, you’ll speed through security. And if you have airline lounge access, through a membership, elite status or credit card, you’re really in luck.
If you don’t have lounge access, it may be worth your time to buy a day pass (if the airline sells them). The airport lounges have the most experienced agents at the airport and, with only a few exceptions (I’m looking at you, Delta SkyClub at La Guardia), I’ve always received fantastic service. You certainly don’t have to buy a pass for the entire family. One person can go in and handle everyone’s tickets.
Don’t be “that guy.” Really, I promise, the airline gate agent did not cause the weather delay. This is definitely a case where you attract more flies with honey.
Stay near your gate. Just because the airline announced a three-hour delay doesn’t mean that they won’t get a slot in fifteen minutes. If you went out for lunch because you thought your noon flight was delayed to 3pm, you’ll be eating your burger when you miss your flight at 12:15. There’s a reason that they refer to “estimated departure times. Does your entire family have to sit there for the entire delay? Of course not. Just be aware.

On The Airplane

Here’s where it can get really frustrating. You’re on the plane. And then the snow starts again. There’s a delay. Then the plane needs to be de-iced. Then it needs more fuel. And on and on…On a bad day, you could still be out there for a few hours before the plane even approaches the runway. Airlines are required to deplane you after a three-hour delay, but if there’s a safety issue, you could be stuck out there.
And finally, sit back and relax. You deserve it!

*A common question that I get is “but won’t those planes all fly the next day?” Possibly, but it may not be to where you want to go. Those planes may be needed somewhere else. There may not be enough crew. They might have taken damage during the storm. Etc.

**Social media, particularly Twitter, can be helpful, but if the entire coast is under water, your chances of getting the immediate answer that you need are slim.