With over 7,000 flights cancelled worldwide, there were major disruptions across several airline carriers over Memorial Day Weekend.
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — With over 7,000 flights cancelled worldwide, there were major disruptions across several airline carriers over Memorial Day Weekend. Amid the disruptions, a travel agent is offering advice before your next trip.
“Right now travel…it’s actually been booming pretty good,” Chad Dodson said. “I think that’s part of the problem that people have been running into with cancellations and delays. I think it was a little unexpected.”
Chad Dodson is a travel agent and owner of Time To Go Travel in Calabash. After COVID restrictions were lifted, he says many people were itching to travel. That, coupled with staffing issues and severe weather, has led to lots of air travel disruptions. Dodson says it’s important to have a backup plan for 24 hours before and after your trip.
“There are no guarantees when it comes to airlines, period. That’s kind of irritating because you have set times to be there at a certain time, get to another plane at a certain time, babysitting, whatever may happen,” Dodson said.
If something does cause your flight to be cancelled or delayed, Dodson says not to count on the airline to cover your hotel or food expenses. While some do provide vouchers for the inconvenience, it’s not a guarantee.
In Wilmington, ILM had no delays or cancellations listed on their website on Tuesday. Kristina Carlson was at the airport to pick up her son and says he had a minor delay in his trip, but only by a few minutes. She is a frequent flyer herself and says she’s no stranger to travel troubles and is planning a business trip to Toronto this weekend.
She booked her trip a while back and got an email on Sunday that her trip was cancelled. She called Delta and they told her the trip was not in fact cancelled and put her back on the original flight. However, this morning, things changed.
“I got another email saying that part of my trip had been cancelled. So, rather than going to Wilmington, Atlanta, Atlanta, Toronto. I’ll go Wilmington, Atlanta, Atlanta, New York, New York, Toronto. And get in with just minutes to spare for my meeting,” Carlson said.
Carlson says she typically doesn’t have issues with Delta and she remains hopeful that all goes well for her upcoming trip.
“Travel is always stressful,” she said. “I’ve been doing it so long, I just always assume something will go wrong and then when it doesn’t it feels better!”
So, when you pack the essentials for your upcoming trip, don’t forget a little patience and kindness.
“Don’t be scared of travelling. Always be nice to whoever you’re dealing with because you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar,” Dodson said.
For more information on Time To Go Travel, visit their Facebook page.