On Sunday, Jan. 14, the Kansas City International Airport experienced a pipe leakage due to extreme weather conditions. Junior David Austin who had travelled out of state was impacted by this occurrence.
“I flew to Oregon and then I got stuck there because it rained in Kansas City and they had to shut down all their flight landings,” Austin said.
I did not get to come back for another three days.
— junior David Austin
Planes will not fly during rainy weather, often during the winter.
“We had a layover in Texas and then when we boarded that flight, it took about 30 minutes and then they couldn’t find a flight crew so they deboarded us; and we had to stay the night at the airport for the next flight,” Austin said.
According to Visa Guide, “Flights can be canceled when there is a shortage of available flight crew because of scheduling, illnesses, management regulations or unanticipated events.”
This can cause passengers to freak out, trying to find the next available flight for their destination.
“I was originally supposed to fly into LA for my layover. That same day, that same layover flight got delayed six times before they boarded and deboarded,” Austin said.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Austin’s travel experience was affected by cold climates.
With a frown, Austin said about a time he was in San Diego.
“Round two years ago, I had like three flights canceled and I didn’t get home for another two weeks and it sucked,” Austin said.
There are also ways travellers can prepare for last second matters, such as booking non-stop flights, knowing secondary options, being ready to adjust travel bookings and planning ahead.
Finally, if you know that there might be some changes to a flight route, be sure to watch out for them and stay safe.