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How much snow does it take to cancel flights?


megessey

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We're scheduled to fly out of Chicago O'hare tomorrow at about 1 pm to Ft. Laud. Weather reports are dismal right now! They are saying "Winter Storm Warning" from 12 am tonight and all through tomorrow afternoon.

 

They're only predicting 6-8" for O'Hare, but is that enough to start cancelling flights? I truly hope all we will have to deal with are delays. Luckily, our cruise is on Sunday, so hopefully if they do cancel all flights out, we can get one in the morning--because its going to be sunny and beautiful here in Chicago on Sunday, grrrrrrr :mad:.

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We're scheduled to fly out of Chicago O'hare tomorrow at about 1 pm to Ft. Laud. Weather reports are dismal right now! They are saying "Winter Storm Warning" from 12 am tonight and all through tomorrow afternoon.

 

They're only predicting 6-8" for O'Hare, but is that enough to start cancelling flights? I truly hope all we will have to deal with are delays. Luckily, our cruise is on Sunday, so hopefully if they do cancel all flights out, we can get one in the morning--because its going to be sunny and beautiful here in Chicago on Sunday, grrrrrrr :mad:.

 

The snowplow drivers in Chicago gets lots of pratice clearing snow during the winter. Cancelling flights isn't based on how much snow is on the ground. It's how safe the runway is at that time. Call your airline before you leave the house to see if it is delayed or not. Some airlines will let you go on earlier flight at no extra charge.

If the flight is cancelled, keep in mind thousands of other people are also trying to rebook flights so keep in contact with the airline throughout the day and keep checking the airline website for flight status. Tell the airline you are going on a cruise and you need the first available flight out even if the connections go out of your way. (If you are flying United, see if they have a flight to Washington Dulles to connect if nothing is available non-stop.) Know where the airline hubs are and keep pushing the reservation agent to find the earliest available flight. It's better than missing the cruise!

If Saturdays flights are full, make sure you get the first flight out Sunday morning (yes, that 6am flight that everyone hates.)

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I would be worried. I note on UA's webpage they already have issued a travel waiver for the midwest.

 

I would try now to change to the earliest flight tomorrow if this is possible for you, as things tend to get backed up as the day goes on.

 

As advised, check all possible routings that will get you to your cruise.

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You need to keep an eye on you airline. Try to get an earlier flight if possible. If your flight is cancelled, call the airlines 800 number immediately. Get on the line for changes, but call the 800 number. They are likely to help you on the phone long before you getto the front of the line. If you are a member of the airline club for your flight, run, don't walk, to the nearest club if your flight is cancelled. Again, they will help you much faster there than the general line. The quicker your case is handled the better flights you will get.

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Try to get out earlier....keep an eye on the airlines' and airPORT's websites...

 

just a question though...you are from CHICAGO!!! you guys KNOW what to do with snow!!!! so you are asking us????:p;):D

 

LOOK at other flight options....if something happens, get on your cell phone to the 800 number and rebook...WHILE you are waiting in line;.....that way by the time you get to an agent you will be all set..hopefully....like someone said...KNOW how to get fromORD (or MDW) to FLL.....you may have to go a weird way, but get on line now and start writing down possible options...

 

AND...not sure how far away you live, but i would BOOK A ROOM at an airport hotel NOW...you can cancel it if you don't need it..that way you won't have to go all the way home in the crap! and you will be the first at the airport sunday to get on a flight if something wacky happens..

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Try to get out earlier....keep an eye on the airlines' and airPORT's websites...

 

just a question though...you are from CHICAGO!!! you guys KNOW what to do with snow!!!! so you are asking us????:p;):D

 

LOOK at other flight options....if something happens, get on your cell phone to the 800 number and rebook...WHILE you are waiting in line;.....that way by the time you get to an agent you will be all set..hopefully....like someone said...KNOW how to get fromORD (or MDW) to FLL.....you may have to go a weird way, but get on line now and start writing down possible options...

 

AND...not sure how far away you live, but i would BOOK A ROOM at an airport hotel NOW...you can cancel it if you don't need it..that way you won't have to go all the way home in the crap! and you will be the first at the airport sunday to get on a flight if something wacky happens..

 

LOL actually I'm from Missouri :o but I live in Chicago. Believe it or not, this is my first time flying out at the exact time of a snow storm. I have been glued to the news channels, praying that they would give some advice about flying out, but so far nothing. Seriously, I look back at all the times I saw on the news those poor souls stranded at O'Hare..... never thinking I might be one of them someday :rolleyes:

 

I'll definitely have American Airlines on speed dial in my cell phone, if it does get cancelled. Another option I'm looking into is maybe flying into Miami if there are more early options to do that. Right now, the only am flight to FLL is 6:55 am. Can't do it unfortunately.

 

Thank you all for your feedback, I appreciate it! :)

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Definitely try to get on the earliest possible flight tomorrow (call tonight). Even if you call and there are no seats, I would get to the airport and try to standby for earlier flights---there is a chance that others who are trying to connect in Chicago will miss their connection flight, opening up seats for stand-by passengersThe sooner you can get out of there the better.

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I'll definitely have American Airlines on speed dial in my cell phone, if it does get cancelled. Another option I'm looking into is maybe flying into Miami if there are more early options to do that. Right now, the only am flight to FLL is 6:55 am. Can't do it unfortunately.

 

Thank you all for your feedback, I appreciate it! :)

And ... the only AA flight into FLL after #730 is an evening departure. United no longer flies to FLL, and they sell connections operated by US Air. So your options are a bit limited. Unfortunately, AA has only 3 dailies into FLL (and, by year-end, they will have only 1 daily). My suggestion would be to call AA NOW, this evening, and see if you can get a re-route to MIA on the earliest Saturday flight ... AA has many, many flights into MIA, as that is their hub for Central and South America. Perhaps you will get a friendly agent who will have sympathy for someone who doesn't want to miss the ship.

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AA should definitely allow you to reroute to MIA but you will need to be proactive and suggest it to them.

 

If you don't want to call tonight and see about rerouting, I suggest at least going to their website and print off the schedule to both FLL and MIA. To get to the schedules, go to www.aa.com. On the right side, the 2nd box down will have 3 tabs at the top, Gates & Times, Schedules, Flight Status Notification. Click on schedules and it will take you to a page to input your information. I would recommend selecting at least 20 or 30 available flights (default is typically 10 flights) which will give you more connecting flight options as well. This will bring you to a page that you can print off and take with you (in the upper right hand corner click Print Version).

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yup...agree 100% with wrona...start printing....and plotting...there are lots of flights to MIA...some non stop, some via memphis or charlotte.....

 

get several options together...and i am serious about booking a room just in case.....you SHOULD be in FLA early enough to cancel...(and sometimes if you are later than the cancel time, if you call the hotel and beg, they won't charge you...believe me, if you guys get 6 inches PLUS of snow, they will sell them......!) otherwise, you are stuck sleeping at O'Scare and I wouldn't do that....

 

i'd be trying for the 9:10AM thru charlotte...

 

BTW....don'tgo by the seating charts either.....they don't reflect seats actually available.....

 

and i am kind of surprised that they (aa) hasn't been proactive and put up a notice about tomorrow's possible mess...

 

GOOD LUCK and KEEP US UPDATED!

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Though not applicable to this specific situation (it's now after the fact), a tip to consider by all in the future: When there is predicted bad weather, many airlines will allow you to move up your flight to the day (or two) before, so as to reduce the number of potential passengers with delays/cancellations. In this case, though the booked flight was Saturday - you should see about getting out of Dodge on Friday, not waiting until Saturday for a day of departure standby. Even if you have to trudge to the airport to standby the day before, it can often be a better option.

 

Now, to answer the question in the thread title (How much snow does it take to cancel flights?):

 

One inch of snow -- if it's in San Juan. :D

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Now, to answer the question in the thread title (How much snow does it take to cancel flights?):

 

One inch of snow -- if it's in San Juan. :D

 

Fort Lauderdale got snow flurries many years ago just enough to make people panic. Most kids living there had never seen snow so it was interesting. Luckily, it was too warm in previous days to stick but it would be interesting if it did since most airports in Florida don't have snowplows.

Orlando got some snow flurries last month and everyone freaked out.

I live in Minnesota and do not have four wheel drive but it's no big deal to us. Nothing closes down unlike other states. Four inches of snow last night and the roads are already cleared and dry. MNDOT gets lots of practice clearing the roads from October - April

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  • 2 weeks later...

:D Gosh you guys! Thanks so much for keeping tabs on my delima LOL! Steve was exactly correct...... we boarded on time, all was well, then the de-icing process took 3 times longer than it should have. Otherwise we would have been on time. I was grateful for every late minute, knowing it wasn't going to be hours or even days....The pilots deserve a standing ovation for the flawless take-off!

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One comment to "how much snow..." A thin coating of frost can severely reduce a wing's lift. If there is frost conditions, let alone snow, the plane will be de-iced which can cause a delay. I've been on morning flights that were de-iced even though it was clear and beautiful outside.

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The DC-9/MD-80 series of aircraft are especially susceptible to a condition known as "cold soak" icing, which can happen on the wings with temperatures far above the freezing point. Luckily, they have developed some easy ways to detect this condition. So, yes, you can go through de-icing even when you have temps in the 40's and 50's.

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