I just wanted to wish my readers a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

If you’re on the east coast, travel may be a bit difficult – my original flight out to Philly this evening has already been canceled.  Thankfully, I was able to rebook to tomorrow morning prior to the weather hitting, but with the snow forecast to end at 7am tomorrow up here, there’s no guarantee we’re going anywhere!

Just a couple of reminders if you’re running into weather that impacts your air travel:

1.  Allow yourself plenty of extra time!  Get to the airport early and be ready to deal with longer lines, since not everyone in front of you is just checking a bag or printing a  boarding pass.  Many will spend some quality time with an agent figuring out how to secure a seat in time for dinner.

2.  If you’re in the terminal and significantly delayed or suddenly canceled, airline lounges are your friend if your operating carrier has a lounge in that airport.  Go immediately – the agents in the lounge will have a shorter line than the gate or counter agents, so if you walk in and see a short queue it may be worth buying a day pass just for that help!  Simultaneously, get on the phone with the airline, as you’re likely to be on hold and you want that line position.

3.  If your flight is cancelled today and you’re rebooked for tomorrow, allow even more time if you need to get to the ticket counter.  There will be even more people looking to get on a plane.  If you’re not going to make it in time by flying out tomorrow, consider showing up to the airport anyway and volunteering to be bumped.  You may get a decent voucher out of it as well as making space for someone who can still get to where they want to go.

Above all, be safe and enjoy time, bad weather or not.