Airport Delays?

[scanne]

We are flying out next Saturday for WDW!!

We are flying out of PHL. My parents are going with us and they have been so worried about delayed flights and such. They keep telling me that there has been all this news about airlines overbooking and bumping passengers, less flights to accommodate those who have been bumped and lots of delays/problems. Maybe I'm living under a rock, but I don't recall hearing any of this. Should I be worried? Our flight leaves at 5:30pm and we're planning on getting to the airport by 3pm. Should be plenty of time, right? I just want to know if we should allow more time or if I should be worried like my parents seem to be....

Thanks.

 

[ducklite]

DH is flying out of PHL this afternoon on SW, I'll let you know what he says about the lines and security, as well as if anyone gets bumped from his flight.

Anne

 

[scanne]

Thanks, Anne! That would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DebbieB]

Travel has been bad the past month, with thunderstorms, pilot shortages, flights at capacity with summer travel. I traveled every week in June and had several delays, the most being 2 1/2 hours (which I ended up getting home at 2:30am).

Which airline are you flying? I hope SW rather than US. US is a total mess.

 

[ducklite]

First update:

The lines to check bags both out front and at the ticket counter are outrageous--he was glad he's just got his little day pack with his laptop, no chceked luggage. He got to the airport early and tried for an earlier flight, but it was full. They had bumped two people. There was no line at all for security in Terminal E.

He then went to terminal D where the flight he's booked on is leaving from, and the security line was about 150 people long, but moving.

Anne

 

[Skroops]

I'd give yourself extra time at the airport. It would feel much better to wait around and have some lunch after you have checked your bags and made it through security rather than stress about getting to your gate on time. You'll lose your seat to a stand by person if you aren't on the plane 10 minutes prior to departure.

There are a lot of new fliers this summer, so security seems a little slower. People don't know they have to remove their shoes and they are just slower to move through the check points for many reasons.

There were some crazy storms last week along the east coast and when that happens some flights get cancelled and sends a back log through the day and sends wripples of delays through the airline no matter which carrier you are on. When you add bad weather + full flights + overworked crews with limited duty time for delay (stir them up)= delays!

The good news with full flights is that most of the time they are looking for volunteers to take later flights. This can be a great way to get a free ticket if you have flexible travel plans. Ask about it when you get to your gate if you are interested.

 

[ducklite]

Scanne, here's the rest of the update.

He went over to the gate for the flight he was booked on (D-2 I think he said) and went to the pub across from it and had something to eat. There was about a ten minute wait at D for security. Waited until the "A's" were almost done boarding and got into the "A" line. Ended up in seat 1-D.

There were two open seats total on his flight. The two people bumped from the earlier flight got onto his flight. Everyone was onboard when DH noticed a lot of police/security activity outside. One of the ground crew came on the plane and spoke to the pilot, then the pilot got off the plane for a couple of minutes. He came back on, and what appeared to be a ground crew supervisor got on the plane and explained what was going on.

Apparantly while fueling the plane they had managed to spill about 15 gallons of aviation fuel out. This is a regular occurence. What isnt' a regular occurence is that it landed on about 20 pieces of luggage wating to be loaded onto the plane. The luggage was soaked with deisel fuel, and there was no way it was getting on the plane until it was dryed/cleaned.

So they departed a few minutes late, but left behind about 20 pieces of damaged luggage. The crew said they had no info as to who's luggage was damaged, and the folks in Florida would be able to help. DH only travels with his little daypack, so he wasn't affected and didn't stick around in Orlando to find out what happened.

In Orlando I pulled up to get him as he was coming down the escalator. I stop the car and opened the trunk and put some boxes from the back seat into the trunk, and was approached almost immediately by an airport security person who asked if my party was outside. I looked up and saw DH coming out the doors and said "he's right there." I was told in no uncertain terms that if he hadn't been--even if I could see him through the glass--that I would have to move. They are being VERY strict on that, normally they'll give you a minute or two before tellign you to move on.

Anne

 

[scanne]

Thank you all for the info and updates.

Anne, that deal with the fuel spill - OMG! - that is crazy!

I'm definitely going to get to the airport 2.5 to 3 hours early on Saturday. My guess is that it's going to be a busy travel day, too.

The best bet is to be prepared.

Thanks again, everyone!