With Southern California temperatures flirting with the 80s, it is a wonder why anyone would be traveling eastward for the holidays. With a 16-inch "dusting" of snow set to pile on the Northeast all the way down to Washington D.C., travel out of LA to anywhere east of the Mississippi is going to be adventurous.
On Saturday, Dec. 19, at least 38 flights from LAX were cancelled with destinations to the East Coast, according to airport officials.
Record setting snowfall amounts closed Reagan National and Baltimore-Washington International airports for an extended time Saturday night and into Sunday, but both airports are expected to reopen by noon, Dec. 20.
However, if you are the president you can probably find an open landing strip. Snowplows at Andrews Air Force Base cleared the way for President Barack Obama's plane to land as he returned from climate change summit in Copenhagen.
The cancellations have affected more than 6,000 passengers according to Nancy Castles, an LAX spokeswoman.
Castles gives the following suggestions if you are traveling over the holidays:
- Call ahead or visit your airline's Web site to see if your flight has been delayed or even cancelled.
- Arrive early to the airport because the check-in process will be slow due to the increase in numbers.
- Check-in online or arrive at the gate extra early so you are not bumped from the flight to make room for those stranded by the delays.
A better suggestion to holiday travelers might just be: "Stay where it's warm!"
