Winter Storm Jonas Is Coming: What to Do About Travel Delays and Flight Cancellations
Winter Storm Jonas is going to wreak havoc with your travel plans—here’s how to be prepared. (Photo: iStock/uatp2)
By Johnny Jet
Here are my go-to tips, websites and apps for all you need to know about weather delays and cancellations:
1. Research
I don’t leave home without knowing the weather where I am and where I’m going—including at layover airports. I use Weather.com and this handy traveler’s weather page I made that even includes the turbulence forecast.
If there’s a huge storm forcing mass cancellations I check with the airline to see if they’ve adjusted their change policies due to the weather so I can rebook without a penalty and fly when there won’t be any hassles.
Airline travel policies: Here’s a list of airline policies: Air Canada | Alaska | American Airlines| Delta | Frontier | Hawaiian | JetBlue | Southwest | Spirit | United | Virgin America | WestJet |Every Airline Website and Phone Number
If there’s disruptive weather in any of the destinations relevant to me, I’ll then check the FAA’s (Federal Aviation Administration) Flight Delay Information – Air Traffic Control System Command Center. It lists general airport conditions at the US’s top 40 major airports.
Related: Epic East Coast Blizzard Disrupting Everyone’s Travel Plans
2. Sign up for flight notifications
Since the Air Traffic Control System Command Center is not flight-specific, I always sign up for flight status notifications, offered for free by each airline. They will send you text or email messages with status updates so you can know you’re staying up-to-date.
3. Load up your phone
Be sure to load your phone with your airline(s)’s toll free phone number(s) and apps just in case there is a cancellation. Tip: If your flight is canceled then get in line as soon as possible and at the same time, also get on the phone and call the airline directly. Usually the airline representative at the call center can rebook you on a flight faster than the line moves and you have the chance to speak to customer service or the gate agent.
Related: What to Do If Bad Weather Screws Up Your Flight
Important: Time is of the essence since there aren’t a lot of flights these days with empty seats and you want to get one before they are all gone. You can also try rebooking by using your smart phone or laptop but most airlines aren’t that advanced yet.
Good to know: Here’s a website that I created which has every airline phone number in the world. It’s called AirlineNumbers.com.
4. Use Twitter
I also like to follow my airline and airports on Twitter. On my Twitter handle (@JohnnyJet) I have all kinds of lists including Airlines on Twitter, U.S. Airports on Twitter and International Airports on Twitter. Most airports are not that active, so don’t get your hopes up, but there are a bunch of airlines that are amazing and some can even help you rebook by reaching out to them via a tweet. My favorite is American Airlines (@AmericanAir). They respond immediately.
Here’s another useful Travel Twitter Resource Page.
Related: Airports You’ll Enjoy Being Stranded at During Winter Storm Jonas
5. Useful apps/websites
Like every frequent traveler, one of my favorite apps is TripIt.com. The site has a free version but their pro version is worth the $49/year if you travel a lot, as they notify you of delays, cancellations, gate changes and other flight details. In case there are mass cancellations, I don’t wait for an airline to reserve me a hotel room. I jump on it as soon as I know I’m spending the night (Hotelnumbers.com). My favorite app for last minute hotel rooms isHotelTonight. But I also use Priceline.com and in case I need to drive somewhere, I load my phone with phone numbers of car rental agencies (CarRentalNumbers.com) or use Uber for short drives.
WATCH: 5 Airport Hacks You’ve Never Heard Of (That Work!)
Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Check out our original adventure travel series A Broad Abroad.
