Dealing With Travel Delays
You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.
The necessity of having pre-determined alternate travel plans should be clear after last week’s crippling of the air traffic system in Europe. Having spewed ash miles into the air and across a heavily traveled air corridor, one volcano has managed to leave the travel plans of many families in it’s wake.
Trying to second guess mother nature is a losing proposition, but planning for it certainly is not. Whenever making travel plans, always presume that there will be a major delay. What will you do if an act of nature cancels flights out of your airport or to your destination airport? What if inclement weather (or ash) at your destination prevents you from getting there?
There are a few simple steps that you can take to prepare for nature related flight delays -
First, reserve early morning flights (before 10AM). Morning flights on a stormy day are the most likely to depart on or near schedule as the aircraft more than likely arrived the prior evening. Delays tend to worsen as the day progresses.
Second, plan on flying from and into the most reliable airports in the area. Large metropolitan areas like Washington DC, New York and Boston have several airport choices, but one of them may be better equipped to deal with severe weather. For example, in the Washington DC metropolitan area, the most reliable airport (that is typically always open) is Baltimore Washington International Airport, while other area airports are known for closures.
Third, when scrambling to salvage your flight plans, explore all options. Can you drive to your destination? Are there flights from or to any other airports within a reasonable drive? Can you take the train? Can you take a bus? Can you take a ship? Lock in an alternate flight and keep checking for something better.
Fourth, check the conditions often in the days leading up to your trip. If you suspect that there may be severe travel delays, you should make arrangements to change your flights in advance. Most airlines will issue a waiver and allow changes without penalty. Be proactive!
Finally, if you have a date and time certain for your vacation, plan to leave a day early. If you are cruising or taking an organized tour, you’ll be responsible for meeting the group or ship on their regular itinerary if you miss the departure. Although cruise ships have been known to delay sailing in extraordinary circumstances, don’t count on it for a delay impacting a fraction of it’s passengers.
Although travel insurance can help defray the cost of the delay, it isn’t likely to reimburse the cost of alternate transportation or costs associated with changing your flight’s destination. You may, however, be protected when inclement weather or other natural occurences forces a cancellation. But, who wants to cancel their vacation?
Planning is critical. Don’t panic – know what your alternate plans are in advance and don’t delay in executing them. Be decisive, lock in the most reasonable alternative, then keep looking for a better alternative.
Travel safely and good luck.
You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.
Disclosure
No related posts.
Leave a Reply
