Today is my son’s 3rd attempt to visit Grinnell. He is an accepted senior, and Grinnell is a front runner. He is travelling from the East Coast alone. Our 1st attempt to visit last February was cancelled due to weather (I know that happens).
This week is his Spring Break, for the past 2 days we have gotten up at 5:30 am and driven him to the airport. Both times, he has arrived at the airport and his flight is then cancelled. This is a different airline then last February. The current plan for today is have him fly to Las Vegas (instead of Chicago) and then transfer to Iowa (with prayers that 2nd flight isn’t cancelled) for a very abbreviated visit to Grinnell.
What I need to know is how often this happens to current students? Is every break going to start and end with a travel nightmare or is this just really bad luck. Are some airlines better then others, we have tried Delta and Southwest. How often is a Grinnell student without a car stuck at the airport for the night. Should we assume every 9 day fall break will be 6 or 7 days due to travel issues?
Hey! I’m not a current student, but I have visited three times this year. I fly from Jackson, Mississippi and haven’t had an issue so far! (I have used American each time.)
Flight scheduling will always be at the mercy of weather, period. And it’s not just snow; think: thunderstorms, fog, hurricanes. My DS had to turn back to school at the start of this Spring Break (east coast snow storm), not bcs his flight was canceled, but bcs his first flight was so badly DELAYED that he wd not be able to make his CONNECTING FLIGHT. And I had to monitor this. The airline did not say, “hey, you are definitely going to be stuck at next airport.” I told him to go back to school.
Try to use airlines that have frequent daily flight departures from the originating & connecting airports, so there’s a “plan B”. If at all possible, try to stick to non-stop or direct flights.
“Non-stop” means just that. The plane doesn’t stop. It’s just one segment.
“Direct” flights involve an intermediate stopover, but it’s the same airplane. The passengers ride in the same aluminum tube and can’t miss the connecting flight because they’re already on it.
Check the status of the flight BEFORE leaving home.
FYI. Cancellation stats by airport & airline.
https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled
Spoke with Grinnell, they had a lot of problems with students from DC arriving for accepted students day. They said Southwest and American were the problem airlines. They also said this has not happened in past years. Grinnell has been very kind and patient handling the travel issues. I did find one direct flight a day to Iowa at an airport about 1 hr from home. It is the airport that services Congress and the only flight to Des Moines with positive feedback on travelocity. I think despite cost and luggage fees that might be the way to go.
Both days DS flights were cancelled after he arrived, we did check the status before we left. He made it to Grinnell yesterday and is visiting today. @GMTplus7 Thank you for the cancellation stats link, it will be a go to site, sometimes a cheap flight is just not worth it.
I signed up for CC to respond to your travel concerns. We are about 1hour 15minutes (with no traffic) from that airport that services Congress. My son is a sophomore at Grinnell and I have only recently realized that it is worth it to drive him the extra distance to the less convenient airport in order to get him on that direct flight to Des Moines. It has the added benefit of being near the Smithsonian so if there is extra time before the flight we can spend it enjoying art and other exhibits rather than stressing out about weather and connections in Chicago.
I realize it’s been a year since these posts, but I’m hoping the previous posters or others can tell me if flying from National is still the best way to get from DC area to Grinnell. I think service to Des Moines may have changed… My S and I plan to go in mid April for admitted students/parents visit – looks like Southwest out of National is best option, but hard to tell. Thanks!
Yes, I will be at National later to tonight pick my son up for his spring break. Travel has not always gone smoothly (winter snow storms again), but everything has worked out and I have re-learned always book Southwest, easiest to deal with for weather issues and re-booking and 2 free bags. The college was wonderful getting son back to campus after winter break, snow storms on both ends caused lots of issues, but everything worked out great.
Thank you! I don’t think I’ve flown Southwest before – have you found that booking the (much cheaper) non-refundable fares works? It looks like you can re-use, just not get refund.
Really excited about Grinnell!
You can re book up to 10 minutes before a flight and use the credit for up to 1 year.
My son is safely home too. He is upstairs in the shower after a nice sleep in his own bed and a smoothie for breakfast. He came back on Southwest to BWI which is closer for me. Travel can be tricky mostly due to weather. After winter break and that 2 feet of snow, he had 4 different flight changes with United (if I remember correctly) and made it back a day late. He has never had to sleep over in an airport due to missing a connection or other issues. I think the education he receives at Grinnell is worth the effort involved with the travel, however I am not the one taking the flights or doing the schoolwork!