Very good thread to start. And folks should keep in mind not just the going, but the returning.
We flew out of MCO Monday morning. The airport was packed with tourists trying to get back one, two or three days earlier than they had scheduled or planned for because of the storm (not enough vacation days to be stuck longer, pet sitter issues, school issues)- plus those of us who were traveling on our regularly scheduled day.
This time of year, it's a very good idea and as important to have contingency plans set up for having to stay longer as much as for the need to delay or cancel the trip before leaving.
And if you do have to try to leave early to get back north into the storm, or even leaving on your regular flight, we had important 2 rules back when I used to travel extensively for work:
1. Make sure you can get out before you check out
2. Think long and hard about the added risk of connecting flights
We had
a lot of people on our flight to Charlotte who were continuing on to La Guardia, Providence or Logan Airports. When they got to Charlotte, many of their flights were cancelled since the airlines didn't want to risk having their planes and crews stranded for days up north. Whereas a direct flight that leaves is going to get there 90 times out of a 100.
If you're going to be stuck, WDW, UOR or anywhere in Orlando is often better than fighting for that last hotel room in Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Norfolk, etc with all of the other stuck passengers.......
Safe travels to all!
