wanderingstar

So, I am supposed to fly in 48 hours from SFO -- TPE -- PP, and now there is a warning about either a tropical storm or a typhoon apparently affecting Ho Chi Minh City and definitely Phnom Penh. Flying Eva Air, economy. Not a member. Not too frequent of a flier. First time solo traveler. Have a good travel insurance policy, I think.

I am, amongst other things, a very phobic flier who happens to be petrified of turbulence.

What is likely to happen? Am I going to get stuck in TPE? Can I choose to spend a few more days there to avoid flooding? Has anyone else heard about this weather situation? I have no idea what to do or what my options really are or how to interpret this sudden weather warning, let alone how severe it really is? The word "typhoon" does not sound good, at all to my ear.

Thanks more-experienced-than-me-travelers!

Lost

If the weather is bad enough thst it's unsafe to fly then the flight will be canceled, period. So don't worry about safety. If your flight goes on as scheduled then you can be confident the pilots feel it's safe.

Check the airline's website for updates. It doesn't look like they have a travel advisory yet, but in my experience if one is issued then airlines are pretty open to changes. The more people adjust their itineraries before the weather event, the less work that needs to be done when a bunch of flights are canceled. A travel advisory would allow you to easily make a change to stay in TPE at no cost to you.

wanderingstar

Oh good, thanks. I would not mind spending time in Taipei for a few days if I had to. I will keep checking with the airline until I leave the house (I have a 2.5 hour drive to get to the airport). Any thoughts about whether it's likely to be a turbulent flight, advisory or no? Knowing in advance is really helpful to avoid anxiety.

And while it was mentioned in the news, I am watching this site for some info, but I can't interpret it very well: Japan Meteorological Agency Tropical Cyclone Information

beckoa

Please follow the redirect as we send this to the BR forum.

~beckoa, co-moderator Information Desk

Lost

The circle for each day on that map means that the center of the storm will probably (70% chance) be within that area on the date/time indicated. Based on the wind speeds indicated in the forecast it looks like the storm is expected to strengthen somewhat through at least Christmas Day. Phonm Penh is on the northern edge of the likely track, and the storm will pass by most likely on the 26th (Tuesday). One thing to keep in mind is the circles indicate where the center of the storm is forecast to go; the actual storm size may be partly outside of that area.

As I said in my last post, travel advisory or not, the pilots won't fly if it's deemed to be unsafe. Yeah, turbulence can be worrisome because you can't see it, but you'd be surprised at how much turbulence a modern airplane can take.

wanderingstar

I would rather not fly during turbulence. I get very, very air sick. I am not concerned about the safety of turbulence. I just would never voluntarily fly through it, just like I will not take roller coaster rides, ever. I think I am routed to fly through this mess.

Any thoughts on what to do? Can I request a day or two layover in Taipei, from Eva?

hayzel7773

You can try but I highly doubt they'll give in.

wanderingstar

1.) Has anyone else flown through a tropical storm/typhoon area, and what was it like?

It's going to be hitting right as I am landing, according to every map I am looking at, unless it should veer a bit off course. According to the route map I am looking at, it's hard to fly around too. So either they will delay the flight or fly through this, in which case, I want to be prepared. Other peoples' experiences would be useful right now for me.

2.) Also, I've never been delayed abroad on a connecting flight due to weather. If that happens, well, what happens? This MUST be a concern to people not only on Eva but to many people throughout Southeast Asia who are flying over the Holidays

Lost

I flew out of Dublin the morning Ophelia hit and I was underwhelmed (though I understand the brunt of the storm missed Dublin and was later in the day). Not very turbulent at all. We were told at check in (2.5 hours before departure) to go straight to the gate as they were trying to leave early, but we ended up departing almost exactly on time.

I tend to get a bit motion sick when I can't see out a window so I generally avoid aisles. You may consider a window seat if possible and see if that helps.

If your trip is delayed due to weather EVA should take care of rerouting you at no additional charge, but you'd be on your own for charges such as hotels, food, etc since the delay is not the airline's fault.

hayzel7773

Hipplewm

This will sound mean and insensitive

If you are booked on the flight and the flight can safely fly and you don't want to fly - that is your business and your money will be used to change to a different flight

If you are booked on a flight and that flight can't safely fly, then they will cancel the flight and rebook you on another flight as soon as you can be accommodated, but they do not owe you anything else (Hotel, meals etc) due to weather.


You can try and call, but there is no way they can even tell you before you leave SFO how the weather will be 7 hours later when you might or might not encounter what remnants of a typhoon. I suggest visiting your doctor and talking to them to get a prescription to help your anxiety and air sickness.

hayzel7773

If you are delayed by weather, they will rebook you. Everything else(hotel, meals etc.) is on your own accord. The airline cannot control the weather and it therefore is not their fault.

If the flight is flying, take it. You being scared is not something the airline will accept. However, if you choose not too, you will incur all costs associated with it since you refused to take it.

wanderingstar

I wasn't concerned about the cost of incidentals (hotels and meals) so much as whether the flight would be more likely to be grounded in SFO or in TPE, and if in TPE, which seems more likely, then do they rebook the flight, or will they if I want to, for a fee, and if so, what a reasonable fee would be. So, I will call them to find out what it would cost to switch it to a flight for a day or two later on the second leg, tomorrow, if it's still looking less-than-ideal on the weather maps.

I have absolutely heard Eva Airlines criticized just earlier this year for flying through bad turbulence in a typhoon in Hong Kong, and then just a few weeks ago, hit CAT, which was not obviously their fault although some thought they should have landed given that there were injuries. But yes, believe it or not, I am just concerned about my personal comfort rather than just getting from point A to point B. Crazy! I know!

Here on Flyertalk, people basically are talking about comfort, and almost nothing but comfort. Most people are frequent fliers booking in business and first class, talking about food, airport lounges, refunds, seat sizes, and customer service along with everything else pertaining to comfort. So I see being throttled around a plane until you vomit because of flying through a typhoon to be a similar issue: is it comfortable, or not, for what you are paying for, as a customer. Not that they can control the weather, but any airline can control choosing to delay or even fly an alternate route, not only due to safety but again, comfort. Just like they can choose to serve nothing but cat food and put you in a three-inch seat, but no one would approve. Likewise, airlines should avoid turbulence, but most basically tell you to just deal with it, which is absurd, sorry.

wanderingstar

Anyways, it looks like no one else is taking this route in the next few days. I had originally posted this to the entire Asia forum, but a moderator moved it, so now it's perhaps not reaching people on other airlines who might also be wondering about the typhoon, which is a category 1 hurricane according to Japan's meteorology service, and which is due to mainly move from the Philippines to Ho Chi Minh City, on up along the Cambodian coast, skirting Phnom Penh and possibly Siem Reap, and then over to Pattaya, Thailand.

A second branch of this looks like it's moving towards Malaysia, the Kai Tek (sp?) system, and news there are saying lots of floods.

I hope it dies down. It's done enough damage in the Philippines already.

It's already going to botch my trip pretty badly if there is flooding. Hopefully, it will just simmer down though when it hits land, but folks in South Vietnam are going to assuredly get wet, unless it veers far West and fast.

gengar

I'll going to be exceedingly generous here and simply assume you haven't read much of FT, but FT as a whole is most certainly not about "almost nothing but comfort". Among many of the other non-comfort-related issues that many FT'ers frequently discuss is getting where they want to go on-time, hence many of the raging threads on various forums when airlines have systemic delay issues over extended periods (e.g., UACO merger, etc.), or even just short-term problems (e.g., IT meltdown, power failure, etc.). Many travelers, business and leisure alike, want to get where they are trying to go and as scheduled. Hence it should be no surprise that most passengers accept the reality of turbulence and therefore airlines are willing to fly despite the risk of turbulence.

I empathize with your personal issues pertaining to air travel, but it's pretty crazy to expect airlines to delay flights and the other hundreds of passengers onboard just because you are uncomfortable during turbulence.