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You betcha! Is this the first time you've flown? Weather is everything in the world of flight. There's nothing you can do to change any of it, since no one controls the weather, so your smartest course is to keep very, very informed.
DON'T phone JFK, because airports know nothing about specific carriers and specific flights.
Besides the standard phone call we always make to the airline 48 hours before every flight time to double-confirm your reservation and seat number -- if the weather is snowy, very windy, icy and/or foggy, phone YOUR AIRLINE at an 800 number 6 hours before flight time, then 5 hours before flight time, then 4 hours before flight time. Your airline is the one that can tell you the status of your flight. Be prepared to wait on hold a really long time if the weather is snowy, very windy, icy or foggy.
If the flight is still "on", you must arrive at the airport no less than 2 hours before flight time. So you must allow yourself a seriously long time to get to the airport in such conditions. You might get to the airport and find that some or all flights have been cancelled. That's life! Curl up with a good book. That's part of winter travel, right? Have a fabulous trip!
In the middle of a winter, you have to worry about:
1) Conditions at the airport you are flying out of.
2) Conditions at the airport that you are connecting or arriving at.
3) Conditions at the airport that your pplane is coming from.
In other words, travel during a period of bad weather is at best a crapshoot.
If it makes you feel better, I had the 1st LONG delay of 4+ hours out of St. Louis on the way to Chicago-Midway. My flight was canceled and I got one of the last seats out of town. And next week ... I am flying out of Green Bay>
My recommendations for a pleasant trip:
1) Bring a lot of things to do - reading, I-Pod, computer that will keep you entertained.
2) Carry a washcloth and a small bar of soap. Nothing feels better than having the ability to wash up after hours in an airport.
3) Checking your bags allows you to move around the airport.
4) Find a less busy area of the airport to chill out. For example, St. Louis Gates E34-40 are unusued, have hundreds of seats and are generally empty. Beats the crowds around E1-18.
5) Everybody hates delays and other problems. The poor airport staff have no control over it. Cut them a break ... they do remember and will help you more.
I was SUPPOSED to take a bus trip Chicago - Ann Arbor tomorrow morning. With all the snow and ice this evening, I am staying in Chicago for the weekend. I do not want to be out in that mess.
All flights get delayed when foul weather is around, i.e. fog, snow, storms. Even if you are in Atlanta and it's nice and sunny, if there is a storm where your flights departure is coming from, there will be a delay. Jlawrence is very correct with his information. Travel prepared, you never know when or where you'll be stuck.
My son is flying from Madrid, Spain tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 19th, to JFK in New York. He arrives at 8P.M. With snow accumulation of possibly 10 inches in New York, what will happen to his flight?
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by peteyjules
My son is flying from Madrid, Spain tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 19th, to JFK in New York. He arrives at 8P.M. With snow accumulation of possibly 10 inches in New York, what will happen to his flight?
anything from Nothing different (Likely) to alternative destination (if it gets bad during flight) to canceled flight (really bad BEFORE flight departs and for foreseeable future)
The air transport system is extremely safe and reliable in spite of these 'normal' difficulties.
Just call / web query AFTER flight is enroute. You should have plenty of time to plan a method of fetching him.
It was announced on one of local NYC TV stations that Delta is canceling it flights tomorrow/Sat. in/out of NYC area airports.
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