EDITORIAL: Christmas travel challenges should not be a surprise

People travelling by air around Christmastime need to get two things straight.

One, it’s going to be extremely busy. No matter where you are at smaller or larger airports, everyone is trying to get to a destination to spend Christmas with family.

Two, there’s always a greater-than-average chance inclement weather could disrupt travel plans. In December, anything can happen.

Those two simple facts seem lost on most people, like it was this Christmas with a huge weather system affecting flights all over North America.

The Sunwing and baggage situations are quite a different story. The whining that went on pertaining to weather was truly at its worst during this time. Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of travellers, had flights delayed, then cancelled. In some cases, people had to spend days in airports.

READ MORE: Imminent snowstorm sparks travel advisory in Lower Mainland ahead of Christmas Eve

READ MORE: Messy Christmas for travellers as more storms bear down on Ontario, B.C.

And, yet, all the individuals interviewed by TV news networks could mention was what a hardship it all was for them personally. It’s as if no one else experienced the same problems.

Some complained they hadn’t seen a certain loved one for so long and this was devastating and frustrating. They also didn’t pack any additional water or snack foods to tide them over and expected the airline companies to be more diligent in taking care of their needs.

Could you imagine what it would be like to work for an airline company during the holiday season? They were subjected to considerable verbal abuse.

When an entire schedule is affected, has to be revamped and passengers re-booked without knowing when flights might be able to depart again, it would surely be a nightmare for employees. Most people could not function in that environment.

This was not a problem confined to the Vancouver airport, but many across Canada and the United States. Flights that did get off the ground weren’t necessarily going to receive clearance to land somewhere else.

The bottom line is those who can’t handle potential disruptions should consider travelling at a time other than Christmas.

– Black Press Media