I'm in a similar situation. If I leave and don't get back on the still-not-cancelled flight Sunday morning (12:30am) I won't make my next flight on a different itinerary, scheduled for 4+ hours after my return to PHL. There's close to zero availability returning to PHL/EWR at all, never mind in a specific (inexpensive) fare class. I've chosen to purchase a relatively inexpensive refundable one-way ticket back to EWR for Sunday night so I at least have a reservation on *some* flight in case my scheduled one is cancelled. If I need to take that flight I'll be left with a car at PHL, needing to be in BOS, and with tickets from PHL-MHT. What a mess!

Please tell me you didn't buy this on CO. The last thing we need to do is reward CO for their asinine policy by buying additional tickets.

I made this suggestion early on...and it was not so well received :)
Why not move these aircraft to other hubs and re-route the connecting pax on any available seat to the alternate connecting point (EWR/CLE) and fly to the destination as scheduled. That way, you are only worrying about IAH O/D pax during the cancellation days - and finding sufficient seats from the connectors' origin airport to EWR/CLE. I would think it could minimize disruption to traffic and revenue. Am I wrong? It's times like this we could really use a lurker to bounce ideas off

Actually I did, because they were hundreds of dollars less than other carriers for the red-eye flight I needed. There were a lot of other considerations as well.

I'm in the C Pres Club right now awaiting a delayed departure to TPA this evening. A sign on the door says because of Rita they are not honouring Day Passes. The place is jammed with people with lots of families with kids.

On the way in from MSP every highway is bumper-to-bumper heading out of town. There are lots of CO planes everywhere on the tarmac especially ERJs.

The gate area was full of people waiting to board. Line-ups for the few places still open are very long so eat elsewhere tonight. Most stores are closed.

Customer Service areas outside the PC have long lines and inside it was about 10 minutes to see an agent to get my new gate for departure (C-23).

Four agents on duty (2 for ID and 2 working the screens) and the bar is open and busy! Cleaning staff are still working, too!

My parents just called from Vancouver. They were scheduled to come back on CO262 today. Continental would only let people that live in IAH on the flight. Anyone with a connection was not allowed to board, they claimed that no one would be able to move baggage.

Mom waited in line, she is non-elite and didnt know to call, at Customer service for over 3 hours to get on AA tomorrow morning. Of course since it is due to weather CO would not give any compensation and they are likely going to stay in the airport due to hotel room shortage.

I assume this is not a uncommon issue today.

Is IAH already being evacuated this early?

It is good that they were able to get on AA..not sure if they are connecting in ORD or DFW.

CO has Screwed Me Over Too
 

Well, now that CO is shutting down IAH, I'm finally able to rebook my trip. Or at least I should have been.

Now CO can't reaccomodate me for 2 days and they refuse to rebook me in the first class I paid for. Only thing left is a coach flight in on Sunday which they've booked me onto. They won't even put me on another carrier, unless it's a CO-codeshare flight. The phone agents told me to go to the airport since they have more power to get me home than they do to see if any other possibilties open up.

Shame on CO for waiting to the last minute to deal with this mess --and shame on CO for not dealing with the mess appropriately. It was obvious since Tuesday that IAH would be negatively impacted by the storm --they should have been a little more flexible to allow for reaccomodations within their system yesterday rather than wait to the 11th hour to act today.

I might add, that trip alert is not working. I should have receive a trip alert email (to my cell phone) when my flight was cancelled, but no I did not. In fact my flight stayed active active on co.com after it was cancelled, and you could still book a ticket on the cancelled flight.

I noticed my SEA-IAH-PHL flights for Sunday AM were no longer listed in Worldspan or Apollo, so I called. It took some time for them to find my flight, as they claimed that my 12:30am flight was listed with the flights from the day before. My guess was correct, and the flights are now officially cancelled. In rebooking I reminded them that I have another itinerary out of PHL 4 1/2 hours after my return from this trip. At first, they refused to change the other itinerary despite the fact that their airline's cancelled flights are what are preventing me from getting to PHL in time. I waited a LONG time while a (presumably swamped) supervisor decided whether my reasonable request to simply delay the other itinerary 24hrs so I could return from SEA was worthy enough. They decided that it was.

Should I?
 

Have a flight next Tu 9/27 sna-iah-bos(to catch that MAD flight on the 28th :) )

I know the path is now moved quite a bit north and east
Just wondering if I should change(try) to move to an EWR flight.
Been EAUd already for the original flight, not sure of the far class booked(showing R now)
Not really interested in spending a bunch to change

Think things may be more normal by Tu?

Do you want to gamble with IAH...or pay $$ for assurance of SNA-EWR or ask about
SAN-EWR or LAX-EWR or LAX-CLE-BOS?

Just made it back from BUF-CLE-AUS. I was coming in tomorrow and was able to pull up. For once in my life I was on a Y fare and had few problems.

One weird note was my BUF - CLE leg was a bit delayed. The ticket agent in BUF recommended I not go because Continental was telling her no hotel rooms were available in CLE. I called my travel guy and he looked and saw LOTS of hotel rooms. I called the Sheraton at CLE airport and asked if there was a run on rooms....NOPE. I went back and asked if she meant "available" or "provided". She bristled, said the flight was less delayed and I should go. Odd.

A guy on my airport bus said CO tried to reroute him today to AUS through IAH instead of CLE. The agent said, "I'll put you on standby for the AUS flight....you'll probably clear." He declined.

One other note, the flight attendant pointed out I-45 N as we flew over it tonight....a river of car headlights that went on for miles. Crazy.

This is on CO's now-functioning "Today's Operation" site:

**********************************************

As of 7:06 AM Central, Friday, September 23, 2005

Due to approaching Hurricane Rita there is a mandatory evacuation in many areas along the Texas Coast. Departures out of Houston will cease at 1230P/CDT Friday, September 23 due to Hurricane Rita. Currently, all operations out of Houston scheduled for Saturday, September 24, have been cancelled. Resumption of service is tentatively planned for Sunday morning, September 25, pending further review of the weather situation.

Latest urgent message from NWS which includes Harris County.

...INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR BRAZORIA...CHAMBERS...FORT BEND...GALVESTON...HARRIS...HOUSTON...LIBERTY...MO NTGOMERY...POLK... SAN JACINTO...TRINITY...AND WALKER COUNTIES....

AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

AS OF 4 AM CDT...HURRICANE RITA WAS IN THE NORTHWESTERN PORTION OF THE GULF AND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING WEST-NORTHWEST. RITA IS FORECAST TO REACH THE UPPER TEXAS COAST AS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO REACH THE COASTAL COUNTIES BY EARLY THIS EVENING. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL THEN BEGIN AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT AND THEN SPREAD INLAND THROUGHOUT THE DAY SATURDAY.

FOR SUSTAINED WIND 90 TO 110 MPH WITH GUSTS 115 TO 135 MPH: EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WINDS WILL CAUSE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE...ALL MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DESTROYED!

STRUCTURAL DAMAGE... HOUSES OF POOR TO AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION WILL BE DESTROYED OR SEVERELY DAMAGED. MODERATE TO MAJOR DAMAGE OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOUSES WILL INCLUDE FAILURE OF UP TO ONE HALF OF ALL GABLED ROOFS. IN ADDITION... UP TO ONE QUARTER OF EXTERIOR WALLS WILL FAIL.

ALUMINUM AND LIGHT WEIGHT STEEL ROOFS WILL BE TORN OFF BUILDINGS AT INDUSTRIAL PARKS. PARTIAL ROOF AND EXTERIOR WALL FAILURES ARE LIKELY AT LOW RISE APARTMENT BUILDINGS...ESPECIALLY THOSE OF POOR TO AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION. MOST WINDOWS IN HIGH RISE OFFICE BUILDINGS WILL BE BLOWN OUT...WITH OTHER MINOR TO MODERATE DAMAGE POSSIBLE DUE TO SWAYING.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE WEIGHT WILL CAUSE ADDITIONAL MAJOR DAMAGE...AS WELL AS INJURIES AND A FEW FATALITIES.

NEAR TOTAL POWER LOSS IS EXPECTED. UP TO ONE HALF OF ALL POWER POLES WILL BE KNOCKED DOWN...AND HUNDREDS OF TRANSFORMERS WILL POP. THE AVAILABILITY OF POTABLE WATER WILL BE DIMINISHED AS FILTRATION SYSTEMS BEGIN TO FAIL.

NATURAL DAMAGE... THOUSANDS OF TREES WILL BE SEVERELY DAMAGED. UP TO THREE QUARTERS OF ALL HEALTHY SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED TREES WILL SNAP OR BE UPROOTED... MOST COMMON ON SATURATED GROUND. UP TO ONE HALF OF HEALTHY LARGE TREES WILL SNAP OR BE UPROOTED. SEVERE DAMAGE IS EXPECTED TO CITRUS ORCHARDS...SOME ORCHARDS MAY BE DESTROYED. MOST NEWLY PLANTED GROUND CROPS WILL BE WIPED OUT. LIVESTOCK LEFT OUTSIDE WILL BE INJURED... SOME CRITICALLY. A FEW LIVESTOCK DEATHS ARE LIKELY.

FOR SUSTAINED WIND 110 TO 130 MPH WITH GUSTS 140 MPH OR MORE:

CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE EXPECTED TO MAN MADE AND NATURAL STRUCTURES!

HOUSES OF POOR TO AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION WILL BE SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO ROOF AND WALLS. DESTRUCTION MAY OCCUR TO HOMES WITH GABLED ROOFS... WITH THE WIND LIFTING THEM OFF. MORE THAN HALF OF ALL INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED...OTHERS WILL HAVE PARTIAL ROOF AND WALL DAMAGE. WOOD FRAMED GARDEN APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED...AND OTHERS WILL HAVE PARTIAL ROOF AND WALL FAILURES.

HIGH RISE OFFICE BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY. MOST WINDOWS WILL BE BLOWN OUT...AND MODERATE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IS POSSIBLE.
AIRBORNE DEBRIS...SOME PIECES GREATER THAN 50 POUNDS...WILL CAUSE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS ARE AT GREAT RISK FOR INJURY OR DEATH.

ELECTRICITY AND WATER WILL BE UNAVAILABLE FOR DAYS...AND PERHAPS WEEKS...AFTER THE STORM PASSES. THE MAJORITY OF TREES WILL BE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED...MOST COMMON AMONG THOSE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZE. CITRUS ORCHARDS WILL BE DESTROYED AS WILL ALL NEWLY PLANTED GROUND CROPS. ESTABLISHED GROUND CROPS WILL HAVE DAMAGE...WITH UP TO ONE HALF OF FIELDS NO LONGER ARABLE. LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE CRITICALLY INJURED OR KILLED.

PERSONS IN THE REGION SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO SECURE TRASH CANS...LAWN FURNITURE...AND OTHER LOOSE OR LIGHTWEIGHT OUTDOOR OBJECTS. HIGH WINDS CAN TOPPLE TREES...BLOW WEAKENED ROOFS OFF HOUSES...AND DOWN POWER LINES.

HURRICANE RITA IS COMPARABLE TO HURRICANE CARLA OF 1961...THE LAST DESTRUCTIVE CATEGORY 4 STORM TO HIT THE UPPER TEXAS COAST.



If it passes over IAH it will be sometime before operations return. There is always the chance that it will abruptly turn north over less populated areas of SW LA.

If does hit near IAH, then all that (new) glass will be damaged.

I wonder what CO's contingency plan is if they can not operate out of their hub for weeks.

Guess I was lucky. Thu 8:20-9:20 am when I was in IAH, everything was very orderly. Lot of refugees came to SJC. First class was 1/2 kids and 20-somethings. My $29 TPA-SJC flight was selling for $2,300-4,100 and some may have purchased those tickets. There was a lot of shuffling seats in FC.

One lady had tried Chicago and Las Vegas, but first open flight she could get was to San Jose. Her husband refused to leave Houston, but she was heading to an Indian casino to relax. As I exited the SJC terminal, there were many people asking for directions to San Francisco from Houston, trying the bus for the first time.

My brother in Los Angeles has a friend from Houston staying for 5 days.

The IAH airport hotel was oversold Wednesday night...even at $260/pop.

Wed 4:30-4:45 pm we caught some of the edge of hurricane winds in Tampa. I was taking a shower on the beach...and the water was flying horizontal. I heard 3 in of rain in 15 min. Tried to return to the airport early and catch the 6:50 pm TPA-IAH flight, but traffic was packed solid, and it took 2 hrs to get gas and return to the TPA airport.

...nothing like the Houston traffic though. We were doing about 10-15 mph.