Does an airplane depart if it's raining?

[We_love_WDW]

We leave today for Wdw and we are having severe thunderstorms later? Do you think we will be delayed? Does a plane depart if it's raining?

 

[Tara]

Raining, yes, of course. Planes take off and land in rain and even snow. Severe thunderstorms are different and it really depends on the severity of the storm, the wind levels and where the storm is in relation to the airport and flight path. It's certainly possible your flight could be delayed - if the storm is over or close to the airport, they could halt takeoffs temporarily. Be sure to have something to keep yourselves entertained if you have a delay, have extra baby food packed if you have an infant, have a charger for your cell phone in your carry-on NOT checked luggage, etc.

If your flight gets canceled, do not just wait in the sure to be long line for rebooking. Get on the phone with the airline immediately AND get in line - then talk to whichever agent (phone or counter) is available first.

 

[DebbieB]

I fly all the time for work and it's very rare for a flight to be delayed taking off due to rain. If a thunderstorm is directly over the airport, there might be a hold because the ground workers have to go inside when there's lightning.

 

[goofy4tink]

Rain will not keep a plane at the gate. Lightening will. I know that we were held at MCO for three hours due to severe thunderstorms in Mass a few years ago. You would think the storms would be an issue in central Florida, not Boston.
I have landed in MCO, with lightning all around us..quite beautiful.

 

[msmayor]

Bear in mind that even if the weather is fine where you are taking off from, you still could be delayed due to weather systems on your route or at the destination. Many airports will have what they call a "ground-hold" for certain destinations that have delays, simply because its better to have you waiting on the ground than circling overhead waiting to land.

 

[skiingfast]

The ability of a plane to fly in storm depends a lots on the airports it is flying to or from. Some have been designed better than others.

As Goofy4tink notes she was held because the airport in MA was delayed for weather. If it is Logan, in Boston it has a dissadvantage because the runways are compact. It can have a thunder storm over all of them at once easily. It's advantage is the runways are not paralell so cross wind on one may be a head or tail wind on another.

MCO has an advantage that the runways are far apart. A storm on one runway may not be effecting one over to far side.

Denver is the best. It has the advantage of open land to expand on. So they built it very spread out and the runways are perpendicular. It's really hard to close everyone at once.

 

[cboudre1]

Our flight from Baltimore to Orlando was delayed over 4 hours due to severe weather in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia this past May. There were no planes in Baltimore for the airlines to use.

 

[maxiesmom]

I think the storm would have to be pretty strong to keep a plane on the ground. I have taken off before on a little commuter jet (think 1 seat on one side, 2 on the other) that bucked so badly the FA was never allowed out of her seat.