In the past few days, raging blizzards have forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights and airports have either slowed to barely operational status, or have shut completely. There are really no news bulletins here. Blizzards in December are like hurricanes in September and tornadoes in July.

It’s all about preparation. Smart travelers expect weather problems, and plan ahead��and not just for flights.

Invest in travel insurance

Even if you book? a nonrefundable airfare in the U.S., the airlines have a reasonably admirable track record of waiving change or cancellation fees and offering full refunds if weather shuts down their operations.

But hotels and resorts are less accomodating. Many of them, especially outside the United States, will charge you if you don’t show up. That’s where trip cancellation and interruption insurance comes in.

A friend was heading to Berlin from Boston this week for New Year’s Eve and her flights were canceled. The? airline refunded her money, but the hotel in Berlin, which was booked as a nonrefundable New Year’s Eve package, is going to charge? her anyway. She might have some recourse in disputing the charge with her credit card company. But the bottom line is that the hotel did fully disclose it was a nonrefundable package at the time she made the confirmed booking. Hence, the need for insurance.

Be the first in line

If your flight is canceled, you might be tempted to head immediately for the airport bar. (As the old saying goes, if a rat is caught in a trap, the first thing he should do, is eat the cheese! After all, he’s not going anywhere.)

There’s a better way. Stay alert for information, and do not depend on the departure boards. They’re useful only for one thing:? determining the gate from which your flight was SUPPOSED to depart. Instead, glance immediately over to the arrivals board to see what is coming in to that gate. If nothing is arriving at that gate until next Tuesday, there’s a reasonably good chance your flight isn’t leaving. But at least you’ll be one of the first to figure out the bad news and the first to dial up the airline and get yourself rerouted.

Insist on the human factor

Do NOT go online to make alternate arrangements. A computer cannot think creatively;? a human being can.

Focus on the tail number

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: knowing the tail number of the aircraft can be enormously helpful. Ask the reservations agent if he/she can identify for you the specific aircraft assigned to your flight or its? tail number. If you go down the list and see that tail number on the ground, you’ll know your flight has a good chance of taking off.

That’s how I get out of town all the time, even in good weather. It also got me the first flight out of London after the volcanic eruptions last April shut down almost everything in Europe.

The tail number approach works best at airports that aren’t hubs or headquarters for your airline,?since there’s no opportunity for the airline to substitute equipment. American Airline has no extra planes sitting around Phoenix, but they do in Dallas. Delta doesn’t have a spare 757 in Seattle, but they do in Atlanta.

Find the back door

If weather or other problems are afflicting your flight, the overstressed airline is likely to put you on hold for a long time.? So here’s my tip: Contact airline partners. Many United flights codeshare with Continental or US Airways. Many Delta flights codeshare with their SkyTeam Alliance partners. So call airlines on the phone. It’s the same flight — with a different flight number — but what you want is flight status information and this is a good way to get it.

Be a? jaywalker

Don’t blindly follow posted airport signs. Look for and learn other routes. For example, flying American Airlines out of Chicago, most folks opt for the doors that take you to the H and K gates. It’s always a crowded mess. Instead, head for the L doors and double back around. The security lines are always much smaller, and you’ll save 20 minutes (that’s in good weather) and more in bad weather.

If all else fails, I’ll have a double with you at the bar.

Flickr photo by y entonces

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