Flying through Hurricane Sandy? Anyone else?

[Lil ole moi]

Hi all,

We are flying down the east coast of the US Tuesday morning and of course am a little worried that Hurricane Sandy will delay or even cancel our flight . Anyone else have the same concern?

 

[stitchineeyore]

Yep. Nervously checking the weather. We are scheduled out of Manchester NH on Tuesday at 1 p.m. We have tix for the Halloween party on the 31st, and we'll be so sad if we don't get to wear our costumes!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Watch your airlines' websites for special announcements.

 

[MountainLaurel]

We're flying Thursday afternoon out of Pittsburgh. Is it looking like the worst will be over by then?

 

[rgf207]

Keep checking your airline's website. It's looking to be pretty bad Monday - Wednesday. You definitely won't fly through the hurricane.

 

[OKW Lover]

The airline won't fly though a hurricane.

If the weather affects your airport (origin or destination) then the airlines will allow you to change flights since they won't operate in severe weather. Stay tuned to your airline's website for info on that.

If the weather is between your origin and destination, the airlines will simply fly around it. Your flight may take longer but you'll be fine flying.

 

[rapunzels]

Yes, we are expecting problems for our 830am flight Tuesday from Dulles, Northern Virginia. Right now our zip on weather.com says expect 50+ gusty winds Tuesday. I think my flight is going to be canceled. We have already discussed leaving on Monday, and driving. We'll see what the airlines say over the next few days.

 

[kiver]

We are flying out of CT at 5:55pm tonight. So far the morning flight looks good, I just hope conditions do not deteriorate in Orlando later today. I hope everyone is safe through this storm. Take care

 

[dawnhaze]

I'm panicking a bit now. My flight is out of Reagan in DC at 7AM on Monday morning... And it looks like the storm will start affecting the area on Sunday night.

I wonder how bad the wind and rain has to be to keep flights on the ground. Obviously I don't want to be unsafe, but I'd really, really like to be able to fly out for my trip.

 

[seashoreCM]

If your schedule permits you can show up at the airport early and try to stand by for a flight. With bad weather pending the airline should put you on at no extra charge although more frequent fliers who showed up later may get priority.

If the hurricane is between where you take off and where you land, most airlines can fly their planes around it.

 

[jmasgat]

For those flying....I would call the airline now and be proactive and "nicely firm" to see if they will change your flight and waive the fee. You can bet the airlines are planning for this storm, and you may be able to change sooner rather than later. It's worth a try!

Good luck and safe travels everyone.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

For those flying....I would call the airline now and be proactive and "nicely firm" to see if they will change your flight and waive the fee. You can bet the airlines are planning for this storm, and you may be able to change sooner rather than later.

Very unlikely you will be able to do this right now without paying a change ticket fee, plus any additional ticket costs. Although it is certain many flights will end up being canceled, right now you will just have to wait until your airline officially announces free weather related flight changes. I just checked United, Delta, Southwest, US Airways, Spirit, American Airlines and Virgin America. Only US Airways, Virgin, and Spirit are currently allowing free ticket changes due to Sandy for certain continental US cities.

If I were flying Sunday through next week, I would also be concerned and would be checking my airline's website frequently for updates.

Keep in mind even if your airport isn't affected, your flight could still be canceled or delayed. Your crew or plane could be stuck at an affected airport.

http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspot.com/2012/10/huge-storm-to-affect-northeast.html

 

[thesugarpixie]

We are also flying out of Pittsburgh Thursday afternoon and I've been keeping an eye on the daily updates. (I thought I moved out of Florida to get away from hurricanes!)

Seems like no matter when our family lived in Florida a hurricane or tropical storm would make an appearance on flight day. Usually the route can be adjusted depending on the storm's track, however weather and issues on the ground along the way are the bigger issue. It had to be really bad weather on one of the ends for the plane not to fly.

 

[mb187143]

For those flying....I would call the airline now and be proactive and "nicely firm" to see if they will change your flight and waive the fee. You can bet the airlines are planning for this storm, and you may be able to change sooner rather than later. It's worth a try!

Good luck and safe travels everyone.

yeah... they're not budging on this yet (Airtran). We're scheduled to fly on Wednesday AM (southwest) for our wedding in WDW, my parents are scheduled on a Wednesday afternoon (airtran) flight. My dad called Airtran, explained that he's flying for my wedding and yada yada, and they said they will not waive the fee unless and until a travel advisory is posted. So far from Philadelphia, only USAir and Jet Blue have posted travel advisories and allowed customers to switch flights with no change fees.

 

[Lil ole moi]

I called Air Canada last night and as of then our flights haven't been cancelled, but it's a possibility that between tomorrow and Tuesday morning they could be. She said if I wanted to change our flight day right now, I would be charged the $150 penality for each ticket. However, if our flight is delayed or cancelled in the next day or two, due to Hurricane Sandy, they will waive the $150 penality and rebook us. So I guess for now, we are in a holding pattern until we find out the status of our flight on the 30th. We (hopefully!!!) fly out of our small east coast Canadian city (Fredericton, New Brunswick) at 6:00am, where we flight directly to Montreal, Quebec, and from there we are on a direct flight to Orlando landing at 12 noon. I hope Disney will accommodate us with rebooking us for different day and that our free dining will remain untouched. It will also be very difficult to find replacement table service reservations this close to the date. Sigh...

All of this is small potatoes compared to those living in coastal areas that our worried about losing their homes though. My worries are nothing compared to their worries. Stay safe everyone.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I called Air Canada last night and as of then our flights haven't been cancelled, but it's a possibility that between tomorrow and Tuesday morning they could be. She said if I wanted to change our flight day right now, I would be charged the $150 penality for each ticket. However, if our flight is delayed or cancelled in the next day or two, due to Hurricane Sandy, they will waive the $150 penality and rebook us.

Did you check their website this morning? They are waiving change ticket fees for several east coast cities.

However, if you are on a non-stop YQB-MCO flight, I'm not sure why you are concerned. This shouldn't affect your flight unless the plane and/or crew are coming from an affected airport.

 

[Lil ole moi]

I've been checking it all morning. So far this is what is posted on Air Canada for my fly date of October 30th for "Travel Alerts":

Airports:

New York, Newark, New Jersey (EWR)
New York, LaGuardia, New York (LGA)
New York, John F Kennedy Int'l, New York (JFK)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL)
Washington, R.Reagan National, Washington, DC (DCA)
Boston, Logan Int'l , Massachusetts (BOS)
Baltimore, International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Maryland (BWI)



Event:

Flights may be impacted by tropical storm Sandy
Air Canada and Air Canada Express advise that flights to, from or connecting through the airport(s) listed may be delayed or cancelled due to the event described.


When:

All day, October 30, 2012


What to do:

Air Canada has revised its ticketing policy for customers booked on affected flights to facilitate changes to bookings. Those customers wishing to make alternate travel arrangements can do so without penalty, space permitting, using our online rebooking tool: check your alternate travel options currently available; re-book yourself and check in before arriving at the airport.

Prior to leaving for the airport, please check your Flight Status, or call Air Canada's automated flight information system at 1-888-422-7533.

Alternatively, you can contact Air Canada Reservations toll free in Canada and the U.S. at 888-247-2262; TTY: 1-800-361-8071 or Air Canada Reservations worldwide. Due to increased call centre volume, wait times may be longer than usual.

Air Canada Vacations Customers must contact Air Canada Vacations directly for rebooking or for travel alternatives at 1-866-529-2079.

More information on re-booking policies for anticipated flight delays and cancellations.

Air Canada is monitoring the situation closely and is working to get you on your way safely and as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your patience and understanding."

My flight originates from YFC to YUL and while it is a direct flight from there, the Air Canada representative said that air flight could be delayed or cancelled all up down the east coast of North America even if the above mentioned airports are part of your itinerary or not. I suppose that could possibly mean that the plane and crew that I'm expecting to fly with, may be storm stayed at another location.