topic Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays? in Community Chat

Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

Goodie2shoes — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 02:50:18 GMT

I feel so bad for all of these people getting delayed by the airline issues as they try to return home from family holiday gatherings. I see the long lines in the airports across the nation on the news, some stranded for several days. My son and daughter-in-law went to Aruba for New Years (their first time ever out of the country) They had to take covid test and send results to the Aruba government before they could leave the US and covid test before returning to the states, thank goodness they were neg each time. They have both been vaccinated and boostered. They only had about a 2 hr delay in Miami before getting back to St. Louis so they were very lucky but tired when they got back last night so they slept in today. I'm just so happy they had a safe trip and got back without to much of a delay

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

CAcableGirl2 — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 03:17:07 GMT

@Goodie2shoes I have personal experience from today! 9 hours driving to and from the same airport all done today.

I left early this morning to take my son and his family to the airport about 1.5 hours away. Dropped them off and all was well, drove back to where I live and went back to work for 2 hours, and then got the call that their first flight was delayed so they missed their connecting flight (with no more flights today), so back I go to the airport to pick them up.

Another 3 hours on the road (to and from the same airport) for trip #2, and then back to work to finish off the work day with a few more hours of work before heading home, and now I'm here at home killing time until 8:30-9pm when we'll head back to the same airport (1.5 hours one-way) for trip #3 to have them board for their non-stop flight around midnight.

The only good news is that there should be less traffic then the 2 earlier trips today because it's so late.

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

Leggett28 — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 03:45:07 GMT

@CAcableGirl2 I feel so sorry for you, you must be exhausted. Hope you can get some rest soon 😴

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

Kachina624 — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 04:10:15 GMT

I heard on the news about one poor guy whose airline flights were canceled several times so he rented a car to drive home, then got stuck in that mess on I-95 for hours.

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

golding76 — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 04:33:43 GMT

The mess on VA I-95 still has me reeling -- and I wasn't even in it! It seems that the snowstorm we had in this area contributed to "the perfect storm" for this disaster, as those in a position to assist the stranded travelers have been saying.

Most people were stuck a minimum of 24 hours in the standstill, 48-mile, bumper-to-bumper traffic. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine was in the mess, too, and for 27 hours! Even with his connections, there was no freeing these luckless people from this nightmare. People had infants and young children with them in their vehicles, and they did not have food or water, in most cases. One family was on its way to a funeral for their father.

The temperature last night was in the high teens and 20s. With the snow and ice, those caught up in this catastrophe must have been going wild. I know I would have been, especially if I had children with me. One woman ran out of gas and was terrified for her children. She spotted an ambulance and begged for help. The ambulance driver had her children sleep in the ambulance.

Although the latest headlines trumpeted that everyone had finally been freed from the gridlock on I-95, their travel, in many cases, ended up immediately in unmoving traffic on whichever artery they took off I-95. Seeking gas, food and warmth, they found none of it. Yep, the gas stations were closed because of the 14 inches of snow (or running out of fuel themselves), and the Waffle House, etc., were closed because employees were unable to get to work. Between the jack-knifed tractor-trailers that caused the initial halt to traffic on I-95 and a multitude of other fender-benders, plus all the traffic spilling onto local roads, the entire area was shambolic.

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

decaf — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 06:58:12 GMT

I feel for everyone dealing with these delays but I wish people would stop and realize that the entire transportation industry is affected by Covid, Omicron now. Employees are calling out sick in droves, then they must quarantine. Flights, unfortunately, are either delayed or have to be cancelled.

It's not just flight crews who are getting ill, it's also all the necessary ground personnel- ticket/gate agents and baggage handlers, also air traffic controllers, aircraft cleaning and catering crews. Making matters worse, each pilot and flight attendant is only allowed to fly a certain number of hours per calendar month, also each type of aircraft must have a minimum number of pilots and flight attendants to take off, both those mandated by the FAA.

People who want to travel these days have to accept that nothing is guaranteed now, that these delays and cancellations are out of an airlines control. The airlines want to fly, that's the only way they make money. That used to mean just weather delays/cancellations, now it's all the Covid problems too.

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

Carmie — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 07:14:23 GMT

I know of no one who was crazy enough to travel for the holidays. We are in a very active COVID crises.

Fully vaccinated means nothing. The vaccinated and unvaccinated are getting and spreading the virus. It is not a good or safe time to travel.

On top of that the weather has been bad. There are people trapped on the highway and in a train in the Wash, DC area and flights are cancelled.

There are so many entitled people out there acting stupid....even some who are giving us rules to follow.. I don't feel sorry for them. They should know better and use common sense.

If you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

Pook — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 08:41:21 GMT

Anyone who was so obsessed with just having to be with family over the holidays in spite of all the warning signs and still chose to travel should have known that there have been and would be travel issues due to ongoing staffing problems because of covid outbreaks put themselves in the position they are in! I actually know of no one who had even large family gatherings locally involving no long distance travel!

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

chiclet — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 11:58:45 GMT

Before Covid every Christmas holiday you heard the stories of people stuck in airports overnight sleeping on the floor caught in snow storms on the road and there have been many movies made about it. Now add covid and they are still traveling knowing the situation. I just don't understand it. If I had family out of town I would go another month to see them unless I knew it would be their last Christmas. We used to go on cruise or to the mountains at Christmas but that is over now. If you choose to go anyway knowing the situation.........

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

chiclet — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 12:14:58 GMT

@CAcableGirl2 wrote:
@Goodie2shoes I have personal experience from today! 9 hours driving to and from the same airport all done today.

I left early this morning to take my son and his family to the airport about 1.5 hours away. Dropped them off and all was well, drove back to where I live and went back to work for 2 hours, and then got the call that their first flight was delayed so they missed their connecting flight (with no more flights today), so back I go to the airport to pick them up.

Another 3 hours on the road (to and from the same airport) for trip #2, and then back to work to finish off the work day with a few more hours of work before heading home, and now I'm here at home killing time until 8:30-9pm when we'll head back to the same airport (1.5 hours one-way) for trip #3 to have them board for their non-stop flight around midnight.

The only good news is that there should be less traffic then the 2 earlier trips today because it's so late.

You are a good mom. I would have done the first two trips but they would have had to find a way back the third time. Maybe an uber or taxi.

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

phoenixbrd — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 12:50:30 GMT

Employees need to return to work. Taxpayers have shouldered the expense of billions of dollars to airlines. This crisis impacts so many families as well as those traveling.

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

RespectLife — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 13:21:48 GMT

@Goodie2shoes

My BIL had covid last year.

Got 2 shots and a booster

Has Covid AGAIN! He did not travel! Got it at work, masks and all.

He is just as sick as he was the first time b4 the shots were invented.

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

RespectLife — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 13:15:05 GMT

@CAcableGirl2 wrote:
@Goodie2shoes I have personal experience from today! 9 hours driving to and from the same airport all done today.

I left early this morning to take my son and his family to the airport about 1.5 hours away. Dropped them off and all was well, drove back to where I live and went back to work for 2 hours, and then got the call that their first flight was delayed so they missed their connecting flight (with no more flights today), so back I go to the airport to pick them up.

Another 3 hours on the road (to and from the same airport) for trip #2, and then back to work to finish off the work day with a few more hours of work before heading home, and now I'm here at home killing time until 8:30-9pm when we'll head back to the same airport (1.5 hours one-way) for trip #3 to have them board for their non-stop flight around midnight.

The only good news is that there should be less traffic then the 2 earlier trips today because it's so late.

@CAcableGirl2

Gosh! Same thing happened to my DD last night....flight from Balitmore delayed 3 hrs before it got here due to weather.

She would have never made her connection in Denver.

So back we went also...BUT we are only an easy 20 min drive to our airport.

I really feel for you with that ride!

She has booked for Saturday to try again.

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

RespectLife — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 13:26:04 GMT

@Carmie

Wanting to be with your family for Christmas is not stupid nor is it crazy.

This virus will be with us for a very, very long time. We have to learn to 'live' with it.

My family has decided we will not hide in fear.

Your post was very harsh. We all make our OWN decisions on how to live...or not live.

@Pook

I have to disagree with you on this one. It is not an obsession to want to be with your family for the holidays. It is making cherished memories as none of us know what the future will hold.

Travel delays before Vid were just as common. Weather in the East is so unpredictable!

98% recover, we have therapies now, we have no complicated medical issues....as I said....I will not hide, I will not live in fear.

I will follow the rules and be careful.

I know of TONS of people who travelled AND got together for Thanksgiving, Christmas AND New Years.

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

Buffalogal47 — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 13:25:46 GMT

One thing I learned from living in Buffalo, NY for 47 years was to get off of limited-access highways during a snowstorm and take local roads. That way if you get stuck somewhere there are always places to take shelter. Even the NY State Dept. of Transportation figured that out and installed gates on entrances in areas of I-90 and some of the state highways that are in the snowbelt. During heavy snowstorms, all traffic is diverted off the roads to local streets and no new traffic can enter.

The I-95 corridor around the Washington DC area is a mess normally no matter what time of year. I can't even imagine the nightmare it must have been this time.

As for flying, I won't get on an airplane until masks are no longer required in the airport. I probably could handle wearing one for the actual flight, but I can't stand those nasty germ-laden face diapers and the idea of having to wear one, possibly for hours due to flight delays and cancelltions, in a crowded, hot airport is not something I would be able to do. If I have to travel, I will drive.

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

RespectLife — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 13:30:11 GMT

@Buffalogal47

Hi Buffalo Gal!

another lifelong Buffalonian here!

I guess we have lived through so many storms, we know how to handle it.

GO BILLS !!

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

Buffalogal47 — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 13:42:01 GMT

@RespectLife Hi! I don't want to disillusion you, but I wasn't born in Buffalo although I lived there most of my life and I left last June for North Carolina. Not because of the weather, though, which ironically is one of the two things I miss most, the other being Niagara Falls. Also Teds, & LaNova, I moved because my kids lefrt years ago and I had no other relatives there. I'm not getting any younger and my daughter, SIL, grandaughter, niece and her family are here. I actually miss the weather. I love snow and it never gets too cold for me!

Edited: By the way, I love your screen name!

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

RespectLife — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 13:48:04 GMT

@Buffalogal47

Thanks!

I will send the weather to you! I like the snow for about 5 mins! LOL

Born and raised here.....but my heart is Southern! LOL

My bones prefer HOT!

I am north of Buffalo and closer to Niagara Falls, in Niagara County. We don't get near the mess that Buffalo and the 'South Towns' get!

Going to Ted's tonight!

The extra time my DD has now to spend here requires another Ted's Hotdog!

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

Buffalogal47 — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 13:58:19 GMT

@RespectLife

Ooooooh! Yummmmm! Have one for me: a Jumbo All-Beef with their hot sauce, onions and pickles and an order of onion rings!

Re: Anyone have family members having difficulty getting back home from the Holidays?

Isobel Archer — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 14:04:20 GMT

And then there was I-95 in VA not to mention AMTRAK stuck for hours.