In a vibrant display of Mother Nature’s formidable power, a colossal storm system, like an angry titan of the skies, unfolded her wrath on the East Coast, leaving it pyjacked by massive flooding and wild winds. This fierce tempest swirled and raged over as many as 60 million inhabitants throughout the weekend. As if in a cruel twist of irony, this powerful surge coincided with airports bracing themselves for the surge of humanity expected to travel during the record historic holiday season.
It was a whirling dervish of a storm that stuffed its pockets with the power of up to 90mph gusts, unleashing floods across widespread areas. This noisy brute of nature ravaged the Northeast, ballooning into a gigantic inconvenience for the half a million people who found themselves without power. The storm set its sights on the national flight schedules, causing cancellations as readily as toppling trees.
No airport proved too big, or too busy, to escape unscathed. Even the stepping stone to the Big Apple, New York's LaGuardia Airport, found itself ensnared, with winds causing tremors of turbulence as planes landed this morning. Similarly, Boston's Logan Airport found itself in the storm's crosshairs, culminating in a ground stop and dragging flight delays out to more than two hours.
Sparkling painfully in recent memory is last year's holiday travel disaster, where a system-wide failure left Southwest Airlines and their two million passengers stranded. Actively looking to avoid a similar narrative, the Transportation Department has taken a firm stance, by announcing a potent $140 million penalty against Southwest Airlines. The lion’s share of that sum is earmarked for future compensation of Southwest passengers.
Conscious travelers, please be warned - if a delay or cancellation occurs due to circumstances within an airline’s control, a $75 credit must be provided by the airline, potentially summing up to $90 million throughout the next three years. A record of 7.5 million passengers are forecast to take to the heavens this holiday season; from December 23rd to New Year’s Day.
Take a note from the wise, friendly travelers. Embrace patience when faced with the inevitable travel hiccups and challenges. Your journey will include those who don’t usually share your well-worn travel routes. And, most importantly, remember to lace up your holiday cheer and kindness before heading out the door. Happy travelling!
