Tips when travel plans change due to an Ice Storm

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Tips when travel plans change due to an Ice Storm-1

On the eastern seaboard we are all dealing with a full on ice storm.  If you had told me when we made travel plans that I would be facing flight delays because of an ice storm in April I would have told you that is nearly impossible.  Not if you live in Canada and not if you’ve had the winter we’ve had this year.  Winter still has a hold of us here in southwestern Ontario. In fact there were people Easter egg hunting on April 1st in the snow – I’m looking at you Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta Winking smile  …  And that my friends was no April Fools Joke.

So the day before our schedule trip to Arizona two week later, we are hit with a massive ice storm.  We were alarmed but knew that the weather would lighten up.  We were crossing our fingers and hoping for the best for our travel plans.  We’re Canadians damn it, we can do this.  Apparently not, as our Monday morning flight from London to Toronto was cancelled at 2 pm on Sunday afternoon.

We found ourselves in a bit of a panic as the airline was kind enough to book us on the same flights for WEDNESDAY MORNING!  So we started to scramble.  Calling the airline directly was of no use:  “Thank you for calling [insert your airline of choice] but due to the volume of calls, we are not able to keep you on hold or accept any incoming calls.  Please go on-line to make any changes”. But … but … you’ve already made the changes and it’s NOT what we wanted. It’s time to get into crisis management mode!

Tips when Travel Plans Change

Here are some of the tactics that we used to get ahead of any foreseeable delays in our travel plans and how to get back on track:

  • check-in 23.5 hours before your flight (the sooner the better)
  • sign up for text messages and email notifications to inform you any flight delays
  • check airline website for flight status (our friends knew about the cancellation before the text message)
  • call the airline directly to make any adjustments for cancelled flights

Although our London to Toronto flight had been cancelled, the Toronto to Phoenix flight was not.  So we needed to get back on that portion of our flight to get back on track.

  • go to airline website and see possible adjustments or connections that could work for you (knowledge is power)
  • drive to the larger hub (we are two hours from Toronto but were willing to drive in to catch the flight that was not cancelled)
  • worst case scenario consider a different airline or even
  • consider a different airport (we are 1 hour from Hamilton, 2 hours from Detroit and just over 2 hours to Buffalo airports)

Once we made the decision to drive to Toronto (or Detroit or Buffalo) we needed to make the following adjustments:

  • make hotel reservations with park ‘n fly options
  • look for parking options if that was not an option
  • contact rental car company at the other end should flight arrival times change (so they don’t give away your car)
  • contact hotel in case you need a late check-in (so they don’t give away your room)
  • make any arrangements for childcare should you leave early

We were faced with the added dilemma that the airline was not accepting calls to make those flight changes.  So we DROVE TO THE AIRPORT to speak to a real-live-agent in person.  There were plenty of agents ready to assist us because not one flight had gone out for over 24 hours!  They were able to get onto the Air Canada website and make the needed changes.

We informed them that we would be driving to Toronto because we knew that the Toronto-Arizona flight was still scheduled to fly in the morning.  The agent was able to re-instated our original flight to Arizona as well as  select our seats!  This was a relief since she thought the flight would be oversold.

When you are travelling, you need to always think on your feet.  The last thing you need to do is panic or give up.  Know that if you can get to the airport or even a real travel agent you may be able to make those changes without penalties.  Going to the airport had not occurred to my husband but it did to me.  Those are the frontline employees that have access to the reservation system.

[tweetthis]Caught in an winter ice storm or snow storm? Think fast and change your travel plans. Here’s how. [/tweetthis]

Settle in for the wait

Now you need to be prepared to wait and hope the ice storm does not cancel your next flight.  Here are a few things to consider as you wait:

  • charge your phone or tablet (you may need to do some calling)
  • load your tablet with books and magazines to read while you wait
  • Take your computer so you can get some work done (not a great way to start a vacation but I’ve been fairly productive when delays occur)
  •  Carry snacks (almonds, granola or protein bars, a sandwich – avoid meat, dairy products and fruits)
  • Don’t forget a water bottle to fill up on the other side of security
  • Remember a neck pillow so you can get some sleep on the flight or even in a lounge
  • Have headphones to listen to an audio book or to music – it’s calming
  • Take a journal to write down notes, sketch, doodle
  • Consider a colouring book & pencils if you have room (I find this very relaxing)
  • Wear comfortable clothing (you may have to sleep in them)
  • Bring toiletries to freshen up when you get to your destination
  • Laugh… if you don’t,  you’ll find this is all very stressful and stress does not help
  • Walk around – exercise will always alleviate stress
  • Avoid alcohol – you think it will relax you but being drunk could keep you off a plane – they can deny you boarding
  • BE NICE === > remember – every employee is just trying to do their job (mother nature brought this ice storm/snow storm/increment weather on not them).

Bon Voyage

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Margarita Ibbott is a travel and lifestyle blogger. She blogs about travel in Canada, the United States and Europe giving practical advice through restaurant, hotel and attraction reviews. She writes for DownshiftingPRO.com and other online media outlets.