People travel in the winter because of winter break and long weekends. Traveling can be fun, but with winter weather it can also be difficult to have a smooth travel experience, whether by plane, car, train or bus. Much can go wrong when traveling in the winter due to snow, rain and ice.
Winter weather can be unpredictable with snowstorms, freezing rain and freezing temperatures that can be hazardous for driving and can cause delays and cancellations for flights and trains. Snow and ice can make roads slippery and reduce visibility, causing road closures and detours.
Vehicles may not be equipped to handle the cold, and may not have four-wheel drive to handle the snow. The battery can die and tires and brakes can weaken. “The cold weather and icy roads sometimes scare me as a newer driver so I take it slower to make sure no problems are caused,” junior Paige Euler said.
Flying also has issues. Planes must clean off ice and defrost. This can lead to delays and cancellations. Snow and ice on airways, taxi-ways and aircraft surfaces can also disrupt flight operations. “When I was traveling for a winter break there were many issues because of the snow and freezing rain leading to two delays and a long day at the airport that was not exciting,” sophomore Shreyas Ganeshan said.
The reduced visibility due to snow, fog and freezing rain makes it difficult for the pilots to see during takeoff, landing and taxiing. This could also lead to delays or cancellations as the pilot may need to wait for conditions to improve before approaching these obstacles. Winter storms also bring strong winds, causing pilots to delay landings and increasing the possibility of airports closing runways.
Airlines may need to adjust flight routes to avoid areas of severe weather or turbulence. This can lead to longer flight times, increased fuel consumption and potential delays. During winter weather events there is an increase in congestion in airports as passengers are waiting for the rebooking of flights and accommodations, causing possible further delays and complications. “As I was supposed to be traveling to Costa Rica on a flight at 3 in the morning it started snowing and this caused my plane to be delayed three hours until 8 in the morning. This made many people upset and tired. Once we landed we had to wait another hour and a half to clear the taxi-way. This was very frustrating and made my family and I think about the travel being worth it, ” junior Shayan Kurup said.
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