Although I knew thunderstorms were predicted for the day of my departure, I had no idea what I was up against. After a lovely ride to the airport, chatting with my driver, I proceeded to the first-class check-in counter, which is where my drama began yesterday.
After handing in my itinerary, the agent looked at me and said, “Ma'am, your flight to Atlanta is delayed and you are going to miss your connection from there to Buenos Aires. However, there’s a flight out of JFK Airport tonight at 10 p.m., or another out of LaGuardia at 5 p.m. I would suggest you take one of these.”
Needless to say, I was NOT at one of those airports mentioned, and I could not believe they were even suggesting that I trek to the other side of Manhattan to “try” and catch another flight. After firmly insisting that I was not leaving the airport, the agent disappeared for 10 minutes—coming back with another proposal.
Magically one coach class seat on an earlier flight that was also delayed was available to Atlanta, which would give me a small shot at making my connection. I took this option and checked in my bags.
It was at this point that I spoke with two other colleagues who were supposed to travel with me. They said the airline had called them to announce the delay, while they were driving to the airport, and suggested another itinerary at another airport. They followed the advice and dramatically changed their plans in the blink of an eye, something I did not want to do.
When I arrived at my gate about 15 minutes later, I saw that this new flight I was put on was delayed as well. This meant that I was going to miss the connection again! I talked to the agent and she suggested that I keep my itinerary and “try” to make the connection because the weather was likely to delay the connection too.
I then inquired about other flight options leaving the next day from different airports. Some good options were still available, so I went off to eat an early dinner to sustain myself for the long night ahead. After dining, I came back to the gate only to see the flight was totally canceled.
The throngs of people lined up waiting to re-ticket was UNBELIEVABLE. The agents were working very slowly and I finally got on the phone and called my corporate travel department to rebook my flight. It turns out the only thing left at that point was an option two days later. I was going to be REALLY late for my business trip, but what could I do? Everything else was sold out.
After my ordeal, I have some advice about handling weather issues leading to canceled flights:
1. Direct flights are king:
After 15 years of travel, with very few connecting flights in my itineraries, this was the very first time I ever faced a canceled flight. Even though they are more costly, direct flights are worth the money if your budget allows.
2. Download airline apps before you leave home:
While among the 50 other stranded travelers all waiting in long lines to talk to agents at the gate, announcements were made over the speakers that if you had the airline app on your phone, you could also search for flights and book a new itinerary yourself. I did not have this on my phone, but I will make sure that I do going forward. You are likely to get more done using technology to help you rather than waiting for a live agent. I would suggest downloading everything at home before your trip and actually browsing the app to get familiar with how it works.
3. Don’t change airports:
I was pressured to move to a different airport several times by the agents during my ordeal. My firm stance spared me more headaches and probably another $80-$100 in taxi fees. My colleagues were not so lucky. Both of them who acted on impulse to change airports had those flights canceled too. If the source of the flight problems is weather, all airports nearby will be facing similar issues and it may not be worth your effort.
4. Options disappear quickly:
I regret not making the decision to just cut my losses that day and book the great options that were still available the next day. Because I hesitated, I lost those chances and had to delay travel by two days. Make decisions quickly when facing weather delays, in order to book good options the following day.
5. Weather cancellations = get your own hotel:
Although I was able to go home that evening, many travelers had to book another night in a hotel on their own dime due to the canceled flights. I heard the travelers arguing with agents trying to understand why they had to pay for their own accommodation. Be alert that most airlines follow a policy that they will not provide you with a hotel if cancelations are beyond their control. Weather is one of those events.
While thunderstorms are predicted again for my new departure date, I will hope for the best. As always, I wish you (and me this time) Happy Travels!
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