Flying to Hawaii, Forecast for Snow
January 10, 2020 2:20 PM Subscribe
The forecast says snow on Monday overnight. We are schedule to fly out on Hawaiian Airlines Tuesday morning. Should we stay the previous night at the airport?
I’m worried about getting to the airport if the roads are snowy or iced over. So staying at a hotel closer would mean greater likelihood of getting there on time. However, I have no idea if weather will delay the flight in or outbound. If it gets delayed by several hours then the overnight stay is a bit of a waste and not the most convenient start to our vacation either. We have a kid and that makes everything feel more complicated.
If I call the airline, will they be able to give me any better advice? What would you do? I really want to get to Hawaii. We have trip insurance.
I’m worried about getting to the airport if the roads are snowy or iced over. So staying at a hotel closer would mean greater likelihood of getting there on time. However, I have no idea if weather will delay the flight in or outbound. If it gets delayed by several hours then the overnight stay is a bit of a waste and not the most convenient start to our vacation either. We have a kid and that makes everything feel more complicated.
If I call the airline, will they be able to give me any better advice? What would you do? I really want to get to Hawaii. We have trip insurance.
The airline won't have any helpful advice, they likely don't know much about the roads in your area, especially if you're far from the airport.
The most helpful advice would probably come from people in your area who have driven the same roads in the snow in the past, with respect to how badly it affects traffic and driving.
I agree with pintapicasso that your best bet is likely to leave several hours earlier to allow extra time -- if that's feasible.
posted by mekily at 2:42 PM on January 10, 2020
The most helpful advice would probably come from people in your area who have driven the same roads in the snow in the past, with respect to how badly it affects traffic and driving.
I agree with pintapicasso that your best bet is likely to leave several hours earlier to allow extra time -- if that's feasible.
posted by mekily at 2:42 PM on January 10, 2020
I don't know that we can answer this for you, but as someone who has to do this calculus for myself quite frequently, here are some questions to consider--
-is your flight early in the morning or late in the day? IME early flights where the plane is already at the airport overnight beforehand are usually on time, and delays stack up later in the day as connections stretch out. Maybe an early flight points to staying at the hotel.
-is your flight a direct flight? I'm much more likely to add in extra safeguards like staying in a hotel the night before if I have three connecting flights, where missing the first ones sets off a difficult chain reaction. Maybe a direct flight points to trying to leave a few hours early instead of staying at the hotel.
-how far do you live from the airport? Do you live somewhere roads or passes get closed in winter? This is a highly personal decision but sometimes my anxiety means that even if it's not safer or 'better' to stay in a hotel, it makes me feel more at ease and secure to do so and that alone can be worth it. If it's half an hour on city highways with no mountains maybe that points to no hotel.
-when do you have to make a decision by? we tend to play it by ear, and check highway webcams and forecasts from NOAA. A lot can change between now and Monday morning and you might not have to make a decision right now? I know that it's harder with a kid.
posted by stellaluna at 3:08 PM on January 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
-is your flight early in the morning or late in the day? IME early flights where the plane is already at the airport overnight beforehand are usually on time, and delays stack up later in the day as connections stretch out. Maybe an early flight points to staying at the hotel.
-is your flight a direct flight? I'm much more likely to add in extra safeguards like staying in a hotel the night before if I have three connecting flights, where missing the first ones sets off a difficult chain reaction. Maybe a direct flight points to trying to leave a few hours early instead of staying at the hotel.
-how far do you live from the airport? Do you live somewhere roads or passes get closed in winter? This is a highly personal decision but sometimes my anxiety means that even if it's not safer or 'better' to stay in a hotel, it makes me feel more at ease and secure to do so and that alone can be worth it. If it's half an hour on city highways with no mountains maybe that points to no hotel.
-when do you have to make a decision by? we tend to play it by ear, and check highway webcams and forecasts from NOAA. A lot can change between now and Monday morning and you might not have to make a decision right now? I know that it's harder with a kid.
posted by stellaluna at 3:08 PM on January 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
Assuming that the location in your profile is correct, they're predicting less than an inch of accumulation. I know that any snow at all feels like a big deal in a place where you don't get much snow, but I don't think that's going to be enough to make the roads impassable or delay the plane. If you're going to stress out about it a lot, it would be fine to stay at an airport hotel. Otherwise, I would plan to leave a bit early in case you need to drive slowly on some slick streets.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 3:19 PM on January 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 3:19 PM on January 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
Were you planning to drive and long-term park? Instead, I'd schedule a pick up with an extra hour of padding (Wingz has been reliably good for us). If road conditions are so bad that a professional driver can't get you to the airport in an hour and a half, your flight's probably delayed anyway. I grant you, this is not terribly attractive if you're on the 8:10 flight, but why pit the power of aloha against a massive early morning cortisol hit?
posted by mumkin at 4:42 PM on January 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by mumkin at 4:42 PM on January 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
I live two hours south of PDX, so any time I have an early flight, I stay at an airport hotel. I’ve stayed at the Sheraton and used their all-night airport shuttle. I’ve also stayed at Aloft. While they also have a shuttle (the whole Cascades Station area seems to share one), it looks like it’s also possible to take the Tri-Met from Aloft to PDX.
If it assuages your car travel worries, I’d do it. No guarantees about flight delays, though. Have a good trip!
posted by Knowyournuts at 6:48 PM on January 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
If it assuages your car travel worries, I’d do it. No guarantees about flight delays, though. Have a good trip!
posted by Knowyournuts at 6:48 PM on January 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
I had a similar experience last year in Seattle: trip to Hawaii, a debilitating (for Seattle) dusting.
That morning, we woke up pretty early. Uber / Lyft had maxed out at $100 for a ride to the airport, as in reality, our street (on a large hill) was shut down. Usually, the ride would be about 25-30 minutes. There was an old man standing near the "road closed" sign trying to describe to people how to get down the hill without going down the really big hill that was closed.
Since we were going to wear our hiking boots anyway, we wore those and headed down the hill on foot, took a bus downtown (the bus driver assured us that she was from Montana and knew how to drive in the snow), and took light rail to the airport. We were on time for our flight.
Our plane, however, was 4? hours delayed! Wheeee. I had lots of time to moisturize at the Duty Free and stand in long lines at the one coffee shop in the crappy terminal Hawaiian gets assigned.
posted by batter_my_heart at 9:40 PM on January 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
That morning, we woke up pretty early. Uber / Lyft had maxed out at $100 for a ride to the airport, as in reality, our street (on a large hill) was shut down. Usually, the ride would be about 25-30 minutes. There was an old man standing near the "road closed" sign trying to describe to people how to get down the hill without going down the really big hill that was closed.
Since we were going to wear our hiking boots anyway, we wore those and headed down the hill on foot, took a bus downtown (the bus driver assured us that she was from Montana and knew how to drive in the snow), and took light rail to the airport. We were on time for our flight.
Our plane, however, was 4? hours delayed! Wheeee. I had lots of time to moisturize at the Duty Free and stand in long lines at the one coffee shop in the crappy terminal Hawaiian gets assigned.
posted by batter_my_heart at 9:40 PM on January 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
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posted by pintapicasso at 2:31 PM on January 10, 2020 [2 favorites]