As a relentless winter storm rolled through the United States last weekend, Sunday saw the largest number of flight cancellations (12,610) and massive delays (22,310) since the coronavirus pandemic, according to Flight Aware, a flight-tracking website. Some U.S. airports, including Greenville-Spartanburg International (GSP) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), canceled all arrivals and departures as the cities dealt with unmanageable snowfall, high winds, and icy conditions. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told CNBC that Wednesday-three full days after the Storm Fern's peak havoc-was the target date for air traffic to normalize. As travelers tried to rebook flights and figure out how long they'd be stuck, a few patterns became clear. Here's the best advice on what to do if weather makes a mess of your travel plans, from those who learned the hard way.
Keep your carry-on stocked with essentials For Alex Blagdon, culinary director at the Cape in Newfoundland, Canada, the rebooking process was a huge hassle. Her flight out of Chile was canceled and she struggled to get on another flight. "No one's answering phones to reschedule," she told , adding that navigating the situation has "been stressful." By Tuesday night, Blagdon had made it to Toronto where she found herself stuck again, only able to get a flight to St. John's, Newfoundland, the next afternoon. Not having access to her checked luggage amid the chaos taught Blagdon an important lesson that other travelers might do well to heed: Pack enough clothing for two to three days in your carry-on. Johan Siggesson, a Malta-based wildlife photographer, was in Madrid when his flight home was canceled. Initially, he rebooked fairly quickly before that flight too was canceled. Even though Storm Fern didn't reach Europe, its impact was felt across airline operations. Siggesson said if he had known he was going to be idling at the airport for 18+ hours, he would have been prepared with additional chargers, medicine, and snacks and not been forced to pay inflated airport prices.
Do your best to plan ahead for rebooking Mike Dodge, head writer at Daily Drop, a travel newsletter, got stuck in Toronto on Sunday night when his flight to Boston was canceled due to Storm Fern. While airline status helped some travelers, including Dodge, efficiently navigate rebooking, Dodge's advice focuses on something anyone can do: get ahead of the situation. Once Dodge caught wind of Fern's impact and path, he pre-scouted backup flights and was ready with workable options when it came time to rebook with the airline. "When airlines cancel, they must offer rebooking options, but the best seats vanish fast," he said. Double-check travel insurance benefits and try a day hotel Lauren Durie, a travel writer based in Dallas, home to one of the worst affected airports, never even got to take off. With no "workable rebooking options, no viable alternate routes," Duire missed seeing her parents in Florida for her sister's birthday.
Although Durie's flight through Southwest was refunded, the experience taught her a couple of things. One, travel insurance isn't a safety net. Because they never left home, none of the benefits of her annual plan applied. And, two, a flight showing as "confirmed" is never for sure until you're in the air. Lauren Gumport, vice president of communications and brand with travel insurance company withFaye.com said aside from having the right travel insurance, like the kind that offers "immediate assistance during major disruptions, including cash benefits or perks that help cover unexpected expenses," stranded travelers might consider booking a hotel room for the day via DayUse.com, or, if you're stuck overnight or for many nights, last-minute booking sites like Hotel Tonight or lastminute can sometimes "surface discounted rates when hotels are trying to fill empty rooms," Gumport said. Even for travelers who managed to avoid the worst delays, the experience underscored how fraught the situation was for airline staff and passengers alike. Peter Shankman, a New York City–based entrepreneur who ultimately rerouted his flight home from Malta through London successfully, had this advice for travelers stuck at the airport-or on hold: "Be nice to the gate agents, flight attendants, and everyone else involved. It's not their fault; they're as pissed off as you."
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