Question for seasoned travelers

[glingo]

I had this question on the Ground/Air Transportataion board, but I don't think that was the best place for it.

I don't fly much. I really hate it. But for Disney I am willing to do it.

Since I don't fly much I don't really know what kind of weather can delay planes. (Since we usually go in January I know about winter weather, but have little experience with anything but ice and snow)

We are due to leave OKC for DFW to MCO on Sunday morning. What is left of Ike may be near Dallas at this time. How much rain and how high do wind speeds need to be before they cancel/delay flights?

 

[Mr. Tickle]

It varies. Different aircraft have different limitations when it comes to winds. As long as the crosswinds aren't out of limits for the airplane you'll be OK. If there are thunderstorms over the airfield that could cause a delay. Rain could cause a visibility problem for take off, but I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[figmentmom]

My take on flying and the weather is that there isn't much I can do about, so I refuse to get completely stressed out about it in advance. (I should mention that this is the complete opposite of what my DH does - he's glued to the Weather Channel for at least two weeks before we travel anywhere!) :ROFLOL:

If it's not safe to fly, the flight will be delayed. Worst case scenario, the flight will be canceled, and you'll have to take a different flight to Orlando. Sure, you'll be inconvenienced, but it beats having an accident.

Relax, and have a great trip. :wave:

 

[glingo]

Thanks!

 

[Jenna]

I'm freaking out about my flights for next year already...we leave dublin at 8.40 and arrive in Gatwick at 10...our flight to Florida is at 11...im petrified of being late even though it was all booked together as connecting flights im scared we'll not get therelol!

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

^ I wouldn't worry too much, especially if-are both flights the same air carrier, because if that's the case, they'll make sure that the passegers on that connecting flight are able to get on the flight to Florida. We've had a similar situation a couple times with Singapore Airlines transfering in Singapore for a flight to Bali. The connection window is only about an hour. Once, we were about 20 minutes late landing, but were told that the Bali flight (also a Singapore Airlines flight) was holding so the passengers traveling on our flight from Frankfurt could make the connection. Either way, I don't think you'll have a problem. Airlines know what flights are connecting with the long haul flights, and they'll hold the plane as long as possible to try to accomodate connecting passengers if there is a delay.

To the OP, nothing you can really do but wait and see. Generally, tropical storm force winds (40-50 MPH) will ground all forms of transportation. Worse case scenario, you'll be booked on a later flight and end up losing a day of your vacation. Hopefully Ike will speed through Texas with minimal damage. But, there's really nothing you can do at this point except see what happends. Best of luck, andh ave a great trip! :wave:

 

[luckyeye13]

Airlines know what flights are connecting with the long haul flights, and they'll hold the plane as long as possible to try to accomodate connecting passengers if there is a delay.

Failing that, you will be rebooked onto another available flight on the same or, if necesssary, a different carrier. As long as everything is on the same ticket, the necessary steps will be taken by the airline to get you to your destination in the event that you miss your connection. I used to see it all the time while working at MCO and I still see it all the time now that I work at Newark. One thing that needs to be kept in mind, though, is that if you manage to make a connection that has become tight because of a delay, your bags most likely won't. This is because checked bags need to be rescreened at each airport and because they take a much less direct path from one plane to the next. Also, if you were rerouted to a different destination after your bags were checked, it usually is not possible to get your bags off quickly enough to have them put on the new flight. I just wanted to share that tidbit of information so that, as a passenger, you will have a better understanding of why your bag might not be joining you straight away in such a situation to make it easier for all of my fellow airline/ground handling agents. Usually, the airline does know where your bags are and already has them set up to come in on the next flight.