Weather Events Send Aircraft, Cruise Ships Running

by Chris Owen on

When weather events cause travel disruptions, most people planning a vacation or business trip to an affected area have to change their plans. Airports and roads close, flights are diverted and destinations may be damaged or destroyed. Suddenly, the best travel plan has gaping holes in it that need instant attention. The good news is that many travel service providers stand by to help.

Right now, a massive superstorm, caused by the rendezvous of hurricane Sandy and two other big winter storms, is aimed at locations 800 miles inland up and down the U.S. East Coast and experts are worried.

“We’re looking at impact of greater than 50 to 60 million people,” said Louis Uccellini, head of environmental prediction for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in an Associated Press report.

Those with travel plans on either side of the storm are scrambling to reschedule. Airlines are waiving change fees for travelers who want to change their flights in and out of the growing area to be affected by the storm. It’s not something they have to do, but as travel service providers, airlines want to minimize the inconvenience to their customers.

Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines and others are allowing air travelers to rebook flights starting Sunday for travel to and from a variety of Eastern U.S. airports.

Airlines are urging booked passengers to check the status of their flight frequently. Another good idea is to have a backup plan in place. If travelers have those potentially affected flights entered in smartphone app TripIt, for example, alternate flights are readily available. Signing up for email and/or text alerts from your airline provides additional information.

Similar in formation to 1991’s perfect storm when hurricane Grace joined a nor’easter and a cold front, this one looks to be far more powerful. That 1991 storm never came ashore. This one will.

Now, travel via cruise ship suddenly has a bit more allure. Unlike land-based travel destinations, cruise ships can, do and have moved out of harms way. Those booked on a cruise vacation will have less disruption than, say, those planning a trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey where casinos are closed and mandatory evacuations are happening.

Most of the time.

This storm is so big that in addition to normal itinerary modifications, ports are closing and entire sailings of a few ships have been cancelled. Carnival Cruise Line has canceled the October 28 sailing of Carnival Glory, not because of the storm, but due to a situation at the Norfolk Cruise Terminal. Positioned behind a major flood gate, which will will be closed to protect the city, there will be no access to the cruise terminal.

Regardless of the method of travel, this is where having a good travel agent in our back pocket comes in handy. Frankly, providing assistance to travelers in a time of emergency is probably one of the least common tasks that agents do. But in a situation like this, when surfing the Internet to make alternate plans can burn up valuable time that might have snagged a seat on the next flight out, travel agents shine.

Armed with information on all flights, hotels, cruise lines and other travel service providers at their fingertips, a good full-service travel agent can be the most efficient way to save the day.



[Photo Credit: Flickr user by ph_zainabe]

Lost on the trail? Satellite tracking system can help

by Chris Owen on

Getting lost on the trail, injured during a climb or into some other unplanned situation can make a great day a lousy one really fast. Adventure travel often takes us to remote places and when accidents happen there might not be a 911 to call or close-by hospital to visit. On their own, travelers often have to make do with the resources at hand. Prepared for anything, some travelers pack registered locator beacons that can make the difference between life and death.

As an integral part of worldwide search and rescue, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operates the Search And Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) System to detect and locate travelers in distress almost anywhere in the world at anytime and in almost any condition.

NOAA’s polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites are part of the international Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking System, called COSPAS-SARSAT. This system uses a network of satellites to quickly detect and locate distress signals from emergency beacons onboard aircraft and boats, and from smaller, handheld personal locator beacons called PLBs.

Easy to get, these PLB’s start at about $100, worth every penny if lost or stranded with no cell phone signal or help in sight. There are three types of beacons used to transmit distress signals, EPIRBs (for maritime use), ELTs (for aviation use), and PLBs (used for land-based applications).

In 2011, NOAA satellites were critical in the rescues of 207 people from life-threatening situations throughout the United States and its surrounding waters. Satellites picked up distress signals from emergency beacons carried by downed pilots, shipwrecked boaters and stranded hikers, and relayed the information about their location to first responders on the ground.

Of the 207 saves last year, 122 people were rescued from the water, 14 from aviation incidents, and 71 in land situations where they used their PLBs. Other rescue highlights from the year include:

  • Alaska had the most people rescued on land last year with 39, followed by Florida with 11, and California with 8.
  • NOAA SARSAT played a critical role in the rescue of a group of student hikers from a grizzly bear attack in Alaska by directing first responders to the scene.
  • In the pitch of night, two people were rescued from a life raft after their boat sank 140 miles off the coast of Marco Island, Florida.
  • An elderly hiker was rescued 74 miles south of Colorado Springs, Colo., during a heavy snowstorm.

Thinking this might be a good idea for your next adventure? These devices must be registered first.

Register a PLB online or download a beacon registration form from the registration website and fax to (301) 568-8649 or call NOAA at 1-888-212-SAVE (7283).

Noaa Photo


Caribbean vacations: Trying to reason with hurricane season

by Jeffrey White on

This is a tense time of year for all those cruise and Caribbean enthusiasts out there, as scientists finalize their predictions about what kind of hurricane season the year will have.

For 2008, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a “normal or slightly busier” year for hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean. What’s normal? NOAA says most years see 11 named storms, with six developing into hurricanes (and usually around two that are real whoppers).

This year? NOAA is predicting 12 to 16 named storms, with two to five becoming genuine hurricanes.

So, depending on how you look at it, that’s either good news (they’re predicting less full on hurricanes) or bad news (they’re predicting more tropical storms and depressions).

Hurricane season officially runs June 1 till the end of November.

What does this mean for your cruise plans? Hard to predict. As with every year, thousands take to the seas — or forget the seas, they just head for their Caribbean vacations — hoping for the best. Since forecasters are not calling for a significantly worse year, there seems no reason to cancel or alter plans.

Typically, trips to the eastern Caribbean are more affected by hurricanes and tropical storms than trips deeper into the western or southern Caribbean.

NOAA is quick to point out that they are right only about 65 percent of the time. The busiest hurricane season on record was in 2005, which saw 28 named storms; NOAA had predicted 12 to 15.

There were 15 named storms in 2007, six hurricanes, to of which were classified as “major.”

A scientist at Colorado State University, however, is predicting 15 named storms this year, with eight hurricanes, four of which will be major.

Try to reason with any of these predictions.