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Traveling during the winter is a game of luck. A huge ice storm could take out your local airport and all flights are cancelled for the next three days. Or a blizzard hits your destination and it’s impossible to fly in for the next week.
While it is difficult to forecast storms months in advance, we talked to a few experts about how to avoid winter flight delays and cancellations. Don’t let some snow keep you at home.
Stick With Bigger Airports And Airlines
When bad weather hits, the more flight options you have, the less likely you’ll be stranded somewhere. Although a big nor'easter can take out New York’s John F. Kennedy International airport, flying in and out of bigger airports means that there are more opportunities and ways to change your plans when something goes awry.
“While it’s really convenient to fly right into some of those mountain resorts for your ski trip, limited flights and heavier weather impacts sometimes make it easier to just fly into Denver,” says Hilton Chicago O'Hare General Manager Michael McGilligan.
The same is true for airlines. While budget airlines are great for purchasing a one-way tickets, flying with one means less options when a flight is cancelled. Although it depends on the airline, in general, the experts say to avoid budget airlines like Frontier, as if a flight is cancelled on one of them, you’ll be stuck for a week.
“In general I want bigger airlines because I want more flight options for getting where I am going,” says Gary Leff, the travel hacker behind the site, A View from the Wing. Leff continues that, in a pinch, major airlines will put you on a smaller partner, while budget airlines can’t.
That being said, Southwest has a great weather policy. In advance of a major storm they will email you and offer you the opportunity to change your ticket to an earlier or later date, at no cost. That way you can get to where you are going, without any cancellations.
Fly Earlier In The Day
From avoiding long TSA lines to traveling during the holidays, earlier flights are always better.
“If you do get stuck, there are plenty of hotel rooms to book when your flight is cancelled at 11:00 a.m. as opposed to being on the last flight that gets cancelled,” points out McGilligan.
Skip The Quick Connection
Or, if you want quick turnaround – around 30 minutes – make sure it isn’t the last flight out of the day. That way, if you do miss the connection, there is a higher likelihood of rebooking.
This is the third in a series of posts on successfully traveling with winter storm delays. Here are the other posts:
3 Tips That Will Save You Money When Your Flight Is Delayed By Winter Storms
The 3 Most Important Things To Do When Your Flight Is Cancelled
