I have a family member who will be flying to the DFW area on December 24th.  She lives in the PDX (Portland, OR) area and it has been snowing for several days now.  A weather forecast check reveals that it might still be snowing there on December 24th, her departure date.

Now, I first inquired as to whether or not the PDX airport ever closes for snow.  It turns out that they do not do so very often.  You see, PDX is nearly at sea level (next to the Columbia River) and it remains pretty warm down there so it’s quite easy to keep the flights moving.  However, this family member lives in the Southwest hills of Portland where the altitude is much higher.  In Portland, it is quite possible for the street conditions to be much worse in the hills than it is down by the river.  In fact, this family member has seen more than enough snow at her altitude that she hasn’t been able to drive her car both because of the snow as well as the icy conditions on steep roads.   PDX Airport has had little or no delays during that same time.

So, she might need a backup plan.  That might be simply taking a cab (most cabs will have chains or traction devices or at least be of sufficient size to navigate the roads safely) or an airport shuttle.   Another backup plan might include having someone drive her to an airport hotel the day before when it is possible to navigate the roads.  The real dilemma, however, is that it may be quite possible for her to be snowed in but for airplanes to continue to take off.  How do you think an airline might treat her non-arrival for the flight? 

Most likely, they may let her change her travel date but with a substantial charge.   She is flying a legacy airline (Continental) and they do charge for changing travel dates and that change is subject to availability *and* the difference in the cost on that leg.  Such a change could quite literally run to several hundred dollars more.

Not many people are faced with such a situation around the country.  At least few do in most major cities.  Yet, watching the weather and having a backup plan can save you hundreds of dollars too.  Airlines don’t have a lot of sympathy for the reason of your delays.   Their outlook is most likely to be determined on whether or not they could take off, not how the weather might be affecting your ability to get to the airport.  Plan ahead and save money.

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