We have had some really awful traveling luck this past year. This seems a good place to share what I re-learned and learned from these experiences. Apologies for making this a bit long.
On two different occasions - including this past Thursday, we got the same messages from American Airlines. “Adverse weather, which may impact the DFW area on (x date) , could affect your upcoming travel with AA. …adjust your travel plans without a fee.”. Both times we said ‘Naaa, we’ll be fine’ and both times it turned out badly (I looked at the weather and thought it looked fine, but wasn’t taking into consideration what the previous day of bad weather had done to incoming and outbound stuck passengers). We were stuck at a really icky Red Roof Inn for Thursday and Friday night - then they cancelled our Saturday flight but we managed to get on another one by calling customer service. What a trial. Btw, when I say the hotel was icky it’s not me being snooty. We got a ‘suite’ which had a room with a bed and a room with a tv, pull out sofa/bed and a table, but there were no cushions on the pull out sofa so you couldn’t sit on it; the smoke detector was wrapped in plastic; I found long, black hair on the sheets (I have short blonde/gray hair and R’s bald); the bathroom area was dirty and the bathroom door had a hole in it where it looked like a dog had been confined and tried to get out. This was the Red Roof Inn
south, not north.
Normally I have a set of clothes in my carryon bag, but I took the clothes out to make room for three pieces of pottery I purchased on the trip. Stupid. I had all of my ‘health and beauty aids’ except for shampoo - and when I asked if they had shampoo they said yes and delivered two more bars of soap! Thankfully there was a Walmart right next door so I was able to get the basics for cheap - including snacks and sandwiches.
Thankfully, the moment they cancelled our flight R got on the app and got the next flight out. Unfortunately, since they’d been canceling flights all day long the only flights out were two days later. We should have immediately gotten a hotel room as well, but since we weren’t positive we were staying for two days or if we’d be able to get on a flight the next day we weren’t sure how long to book a room. By the time we pulled the trigger we had very limited options.
Also, as it turned out, if we hadn’t pre-paid for two days in that crappy room we could have (and probably should have) gotten on flights the next day as they opened up. We opted to enjoy a steak dinner at a local steak house (Aspen Creek - really, really good steaks) and relax for a day. But if this happens to you, and you NEED to get home, keep an eye on every flight coming up for the next 24 hours, and keep track of the app because it was showing us flights we could grab as they opened up.
So the bottom line for me includes:
- When the airline says you can change your travel plans without fee due to weather, we will change our travel plans.
- I will make sure I have at least one change of clothes (extra undies) AND something to sleep in packed in my carryon
- I will make sure I have at least three extra days of necessary medication (I had the most-needed but was short on a couple of supplements that make my life more comfortable)
- I will make sure I have travel size packages of ALL of my HB&A stuff and a brush in my carryon
- Only book ONE night for the hotel and watch for flights to open up - keep stuff packed so I can get to the airport quickly if needed.
- Pack a few days of extra food/medication for the dogs who will be stuck at the kennel (I think we only had two extra days and they ran out on the third morning - fortunately had just enough of one of our dogs’ medication)
- Pack a light weight blanket in carryon in case the blanket in the hotel room is the thinnest blanket you’ve ever seen in your life!! (I bought one at Walmart for $4)
- SO thankful we signed up for Global Online Entry - it’s always been a time saver, but this time was especially appreciated.
Like I said, some of this was re-learning, and some was new for me. Might be helpful for someone else. We will also be trying to route through Miami more in the future (though they also have storms), as DFW just seemed to be in rough shape with broken escalators/elevators and a funky airport layout.
