Tips to prep for travel turbulence – The Champion Newspaper | 404-373-7779 | Georgia

One doesn’t have to be headed to a foreign land for an adventure to encounter the perils of travel. This was a lesson learned from the recent global information technology (IT) disaster.

Airlines were one of several businesses severely hampered by the IT outages. Ramifications cascaded for days and affected the travelers flying to grandma’s house as well as those flying to board a cruise, attend a funeral, lead a meeting, return home from vacation, and an array of other reasons.

I was one of those who endured more than 24 hours of turmoil and uncertainty at three airports facing cancellations, numerous delays, two rebookings, hours-long waits standing in lines, lost luggage, and more.

Although the next travel disruption may not mirror this one, it’s likely that something—be it related to weather, infrastructure, IT, etc.—will occur to sidetrack travel plans in the future.

With an estimated 25,000 flights departing the United States daily, according to an article posted on AFAR. “It is ‘normal’ to expect around 1 to 2 percent of flights to be canceled,” said Gary Leff, author of ViewFromTheWing.com, in the article. He added that around 20 to 25 percent of flights are late by at least 15 minutes, though it’s harder to track the range of how delayed flights are.

I’ve come up with some tips for surviving the unexpected perils of travel in the hopes of helping readers be best prepared should they experience similar circumstances:
• Before departing, do an online search for a few alternative options for getting from your starting to ending points. Know which airlines/trains/buses provide service to the destination in case pivoting becomes necessary.

• If possible, carry your luggage onboard and avoid checking baggage. While this isn’t always possible, it can be a frustration saver.
• If checking luggage, always pack at least one carry-on bag with essentials such as medications, comfort items such as toothbrush/toothpaste/soap/lotion, small wash cloth, change of clothes and underwear.
• Arrive at the airport with all communication and entertainment devices fully charged and with chargers readily available in one’s carry-on luggage.
• Do not overlook the importance of arriving at the airport well in advance of departure time. Check monitors repeatedly for departure time updates and gate changes.
• Do not throw away any paperwork related to your trip before arriving at your destination or better yet, at home. Even if only for portions of your trip, hold onto any papers, emails, texts regarding that segment of travel. Each has crucial information needed for rebooking or filing claims such as confirmation and ticketing numbers as well as flight numbers. Also, luggage receipts are vital if bags are delayed or lost, and one needs to track bags and/or make a claim.
• Keep track of any expenses incurred during a delay or cancellation and file a claim with the transportation operator as soon as possible.
• Carry more than one credit card from a different financial institution in case one encounters unexpected travel expenses. And having some cash on hand is also a good idea.
• Bring along things to occupy one’s time such as books, magazines, and games. Download movies and games to phones and laptops.
• Pack a few snacks such as trail mix, energy bars, candy, chips, etc.
• Download your airline’s app and sign up for notifications which are a crucial lifeline in the event of disruptions.
• Understand that during the most extreme transportation crisis, one may be unable to reach customer service representatives in a timely manner. When this latest IT outage occurred, I initially called Delta’s customer service and was told via a recording that my wait time was seven hours.
• Focus on comfort when dressing for getting to one’s destination—shoes easy on the feet and ideal for long walks, outfits that will still look decent and will be after day and night travel, and clothes one won’t mind sleeping in or sitting on the floor.
• Travel with the most positive attitude possible. When dealing with customer service reps, remember they are also under plenty of pressure and are stressed. Being nasty, demanding, threatening, and acting privileged aren’t likely to get one very far with individuals providing help.
• Remember that while travel plans may be interrupted, delayed or even cancelled, it’s not the end of the world.
• Don’t leave home without packing generous amounts of patience.