Hurricane Strands Passengers, Brings Unexpected Guests

This past weekend, Hurricane Irene slammed into the East Coast, leaving billions of dollars in damage, millions of people without power and thousands more stranded in airports. And while the impact was not as bad as many had anticipated, it still severerly hurt travel in one of the most frequented air spaces in the country.

Passengers wait in line. Credit: CNN

Airlines canceled over 11,000 flights over the weekend, including nearly 1,000 today. Not sure how many of those trips were fully booked, but no matter what, that meant for a whole lot of people hanging around airports across the nation waiting to get another flight or figure out alternate plans. Some made the best of it--like the guy who ended up at my rooftop party after his flight to New York was canceled on Saturday night--while others stressed and complained for hours until finally making it to their destinations.

Many travelers received refunds or rebookings without any penalties, but there were still hours of frustration for most. Customer service lines were jammed with calls, with people waiting up to an hour and a half before speaking with anyone. Obviously, this is not the first weather-related disruption for travelers, just think about everything we've gone through this year alone--blizzards, tornadoes, earthquakes. The best anyone can do is play the hand they are dealt.

For example, the guy I mentioned earlier, Chris, was making his way back to New York after visiting friends on the West Coast. He landed in Chicago, not sure if his flight would be canceled, hoping it would just be delayed. Despite the storm not being as extreme as expected in New York, he still ended up stranded in O'Hare. Luckily for him, United gave him a free hotel room for the night. But for Chris, a night in a hotel near the airport was no way to spend the night. He called his friend Josh, who just happened to be at my apartment for an end-of-summer soiree on our roof. Voila! Instant night out in Chicago. An unfortunate string of events that led to a fun evening meeting some new people.

I am aware that not everyone can get this lucky. Many people did not have friends in the cities where they were stranded. But the story does make a point that there is a way to make light of every situation. So no matter what kind of misfortune comes your way while traveling, there is always a way to make it better, more enjoyable.

This may seem a little too upbeat and optimistic for all those who faced horrific travel issues this weekend, and for those people, I truly am sorry. I am no stranger to those events. The best you can do is grin and bear it, and hope you get a damn good refund from your airline. If not, a good stiff drink should do the trick.

Weather Worries

A "ground stop" was declared this morning at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago due to high winds and rain. As most residents know, the city experienced some intense weather conditions early in the day; in fact, many news stations claimed it was going to be the most powerful storm Chicago has seen in seven decades. (That's quite a claim, and I'm still waiting for the confirmation on that. So far, no hard evidence.) Clearly, it was bad enough for O'Hare to ground flights. (Although, it usually doesn't take much for O'Hare to do that sort of thing.) Now, over 300 flights out of the airport have been cancelled, leaving thousands stranded for the day.

I don't mean to be such a skeptic, but I experienced about ten minutes of monsoon-like rain and wind gusts, then it lightened up, the clouds sped by and skies cleared up. I'm looking at a blue sky right now. No disrespect to the weather men and women out there, but I don't see this being as bad as predicted. And I certainly see no reason why O'Hare feels the need to cancel so many flights. Midway is experiencing the same weather, and they seem to be handling the situation pretty well, despite having numerous delays on incoming and outgoing flights. I have had more than one bad experience with O'Hare delaying or cancelling my flights due to weather, and each time it was unnecessary. Every time it happens, I get the feeling that O'Hare plays into the media hype given to these storms, and rather than taking it in stride, they cancel or delay flights in anticipation of bad conditions before actually seeing them play out. It leaves many people running for connecting flights in other cities, standing in customer service lines trying to find other flights, or just stranded for an extra day. It's frustrating, especially for those who travel on a regular basis.

Obviously, I understand that weather conditions affect flights, and if there are legitimate reasons--whiteout conditions, tornadoes--I can accept a cancelled flight. But one of my flights out of O'Hare a few months ago to visit my dad in Canada was cancelled due to dense fog. First of all, the fog cleared up by mid-morning and my flight was at 4:30 pm, and when I stepped out of my office around 1:30, the sun was shining, clear skies and seventy-degree temperatures--perfect flying weather. I called right away and got another flight, irritated that the first one had been cancelled at all when the weather was clearly not an issue.

I know I'm ranting, but when I see these announcements about mass cancellations, I have to wonder if they are really necessary, if the weather really is that bad. If conditions outside worsen, then I will admit to being wrong, but until that happens, I maintain that airports should try to get their flights out, even if they have to be a little late.