ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – DECEMBER 27: A flight information display system shows departure times at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on December 27, 2021 in Arlington, Virginia. According to media reports, at least 2,600 more flights were canceled Monday amid the surge in coronavirus cases, which have affected the staff within airlines. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
As I write this, I am messaging with someone stranded at a US airport as their second of three flights on a long-haul trip was first on time with the usual three-hour before departure alert, then, within fifteen minutes, suddenly cancel. Cue a somewhat stressful process of trying to get rebooked to get to the destination on a different route without losing a day.
This seems to be more and more common in the age of Covid and an absolute sign that it has not gone away. Airlines and airports are making changes at the last minute over and over again. I imagine a lot of that is when people test positive for covid. Why else would there be so many cancellations within 2-3 hours of departure?
Anyway, that one is all sorted out, but it makes me think of how we experience it.
I flew literally millions of miles on business travel in the decades prior to covid. I’d book my travel so as to reduce risks of delays and cancellations (eg avoiding connecting flights where I could, avoiding airports in wintry cities that could get snowstorms, avoiding the last flight of the day etc). However, I never had to deal with the chaos of understaffing post covid shutdowns in air travel, plus the last-minute cancellations noted above.
If you are an occasional traveller it is an inconvenience, a hassle, but also a life experience.
If, however, you are a business traveller, you may start to think about doing less business travel if these things remain part of the picture.
I also think of friends who are UK musicians of a certain age (cough, my age or older). Not such a fun rock star experience once you have not only post brexit paperwork to deal with for equipment and talent, then imagine you just want to get home after a tour leg and your flights home get cancelled at the last minute. Hmm, you may find it harder in future to see your favourite 80s band live outside their home country!
Anyway, chaos averted, I’m off for a drive in my air-conditioned car on this super-hot UK day. Yup, am a climate warrior 99% of the time, and sometimes need to give myself what I need for my sanity 😉