You’ve probably seen news stories about the incredible number of flight cancellations, fights on airplanes and worker shortages that have been affecting travel for weeks. It’s easy to say that this is all related to the omicron surge, and much of it is. Travel conditions right now are some of the worst I’ve seen, but they weren’t great before this new variant descended upon us either.
Many parts of the travel experience are fundamentally broken right now and don’t show signs of improvement anytime soon. As a road warrior who has flights scheduled on a weekly basis, this is what I’m seeing.
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Flight cancellations and delays
Omicron is likely having the biggest impact right now on flight cancellations. When TPG is running stories about flight cancellations measured in the thousands, the impact on travel is easy to see.
Delays start the moment you arrive at the airport and can cascade through your trip. Due to a shortage of employees, the line to check a bag or speak with a ticketing agent are some of the longest I’ve seen in recent memory. Behind the scenes, I’m betting there are fewer baggage handlers as well.
Related: Operational meltdown Sunday as airlines cancel 2,800+ flights
On a recent travel day from my home airport of Washington-Dulles, it was amusing to note that the airport had decided to change the color for canceled flights on message boards from red to white. While it may have been more soothing on the eyes, it highlighted the massive schedule disruptions.
This specific day was impacted a bit by weather from the day before, but a closer look showed how staffing shortages were an equally significant issue.
Related: 1 in 13 flights was canceled during the holidays
My first flight that day had posted an initial delay of about 40 minutes. When I arrived at the gate about an hour prior to departure there was no gate agent yet. A gate agent generally opens a flight about an hour prior to departure and manages the gate area during that time, helping customers with seat change requests and other necessary tasks. In this case, a gate agent didn’t arrive until 45 minutes prior to departure. She was able to tell me that the windshield wiper motor was broken on our plane.
Related: Here’s what to do if your flight is delayed or canceled
Experience told me it was time to find a new flight and I quickly hopped on the phone with the United 1K desk. What was most surprising to me was what happened next. Shortly after, the pilot made an announcement about the mechanical issue and departed for the lounge and the gate agent left the area as well.
The remaining passengers on the flight had nobody in the gate area to advise or update them, and the customer service area adjacent to the gate was shut down. In that part of the terminal, unless you could convince another gate agent to help you, the closest customer service agent was close to a 10-minute walk. Even on a light travel day, the lines at that single customer service station stretched down the concourse.
Later that day, my second flight was delayed by more than 45 minutes. Our pilot explained there was a delay loading bags. A quick peek out the window of our plane showed there wasn’t actually anyone loading bags. Almost 30 minutes later a cart showed up with a single employee who started loading bags.
The flight that day was a hub-to-hub flight destined for Denver, which meant there were many onboard connections. Our late arrival led to dozens of passengers sprinting for their next flight and others finding out that the last flight to their destination that evening had already left.
As part of my research for this article, I checked flight status for each of United’s hubs the day prior. Every single hub had at least one hub-to-hub flight canceled for the date I searched. Many had a hub-to-hub flight canceled to multiple hubs. For example, Denver had flights canceled from Newark, Dulles, Houston and Los Angeles.
Related: 3 things to do if your flight is delayed
Those hub-to-hub flights are critical to keeping passengers flowing as many of the passengers are connecting to a final destination. Those cancellations put further pressure on hubs to rebook passengers on already full flights to smaller airports. On one recent flight, I saw my inbound aircraft change five times prior to our departure. I can only imagine what caused those changes.
Airlines are designed to keep people moving. When the system breaks down, the problems pile up quickly. A lack of ticket agents requires passengers to show up earlier to check bags. A slower checked bag process means bags get to planes late, potentially leading to delays. The nature of COVID-19 cancellations leads to complications closer to departure. That makes it harder to find a backup crew, ensuring they have enough service time left to fulfill the remaining flights of an excluded crew. A lack of gate agents leads to longer rebooking times, which leads to customers missing earlier flights to stay on track.
Airport operations
Flight delays and cancellations are only part of the problem when it comes to getting where you’re going. Many airport concessions are still closed. Those that are open seem perpetually understaffed. The combination of these two factors lead to long lines and frequent disappointment. I’ve seen breakfast restaurants without eggs, concession stands without bottled water, newspapers or chips. With restaurants shut down, grab-and-go places like Hudson News frequently have empty shelves.
Related: 6 real-life things to do if your flight is delayed or canceled
At Washington-Dulles, one of the two Starbucks in the C/D terminal has been closed for as long as I can recall, making the line at the other Starbucks unbearable. On my most recent trip, the Potbelly was closed along with one of the newsstands. Au Bon Pain wasn’t making sandwiches, only offering grab-and-go with most of those options sold out. One of the other major options in this terminal is Chick-Fil-A, which always has massive lines. With that option removed on a Sunday, finding food before a flight is a real-world version of the Hunger Games.
Related: 10 ways to get through airport security faster
Another issue is inconsistent security screening hours. Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) is one of my frequent stops for work travel. Unfortunately, in the height of ski season, the airport has significantly curtailed the hours of TSA PreCheck. The last two times I departed RNO there were no posted hours and the PreCheck line was closed. For these mid-afternoon flights, I was directed to regular security screening. Lines weren’t massive, but they were far from the 5-minute wait I normally experience.
Rental cars are in short supply
Even as a Hertz President’s Circle member I’ve found myself shut out of a rental car even when booking a few days ahead of time in certain cities. Co-workers without elite status had zero options even when booking two weeks ahead of time.
At popular destinations like Orlando and Las Vegas, the lines at discount car brands like Thrifty and Dollar are crushing, as well as endless lines for a shuttle bus. There are frequent reports online of folks who had what they believed was a guaranteed car reservation, but they had to wait hours for cars after arrival.
More than once, I found both the President’s Circle and Gold Club lanes completely empty at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, and there was a line of anxious elite travelers waiting for an employee to drive a car into the lot. You get a sinking feeling when you spend most of your day flying only to find that the rental car lot is empty.
Hotels still aren’t back to normal
During the height of the pandemic, a hotel stay was like being transported to a different world. While things have improved, many stays are still far from normal. Staffing is one of the biggest challenges facing hotels right now, with supply chain issues not far behind. In the past two months these are some of the observations from my hotel stays:
- I’ve been asked to wait for a room at the normal check-in time for a stay at a hotel chain where I hold elite status.
- A front desk agent told me they would be turning guests away the evening of my arrival because they didn’t have enough housekeepers to clean the rooms, and she commented that the general manager was upstairs cleaning rooms.
- Multiple complimentary hotel breakfast options were significantly reduced or eliminated.
- Due to staffing issues, we observed folks waiting almost an hour for a breakfast table at a full-service hotel.
- I’ve lost count of the number of off-brand toiletries in hotel rooms. I also received different brands of amenities on back-to-back nights in the same hotel.
- Other than Resorts World in Las Vegas, every single one of my hotel stays in the past two months has featured some version of modified or eliminated daily housekeeping, including a few full-service hotels.
Related: We stayed at the first new casino in Vegas in a decade – and it accepts points
Bottom line
While I could rattle off dozens of things to be prepared for if you have travel scheduled, there are really just two things I recommend. First, bring plenty of patience. Tempers are flaring up all over as everyone is on edge. Take a deep breath and roll with whatever comes your way. It’s way too easy to find yourself in a battle of words and willpower while traveling under these circumstances.
Second, know what your backup options are ahead of time. Take advantage of free cancellations on most flights and book backup flights, and be ready to pivot quickly. If you’re stuck at a hub airport, grab a room at an airport hotel before they sell out and consider starting over in the morning.
Lastly, if you’re traveling with kids, let them know ahead of time to expect curveballs. Pack them a snack and bring an extra battery for their electronics. Travel conditions will improve, but it probably won’t happen anytime soon.
Featured photo by Eye Candy Images/Getty Images.