Weather issues, DTW
 

My boss is scheduled to fly DTW-ORD on NWA at 5 pm today, connecting with another airline to head to the West Coast.

While it's snowing outside my window, I see that the 9 am flight to DTW-ORD was canceled today. While nwa.com shows no delay for the 12:10 pm flight or the 1:35 to ORD, flightstats.com snows an estimated 20-30 minute delay for the 12:10, 1:35 and 5:08.

I've never used flightstats.com before -- are they just guessing?

One other question. My boss is in a meeting in Detroit today. Due to the weather, he'll leave straight for the airport from the meeting. If the flight is delayed, does he still need to be checked in within the parameters for the 5:08 pm flight (within a half-hour, or whatever) and not what it's delayed to (like, to be optimistic, 5:45 pm)? So within so much time of the originally scheduled flight?

I really didn't know how to search the second question, I tried, but couldn't come up with anything ...

I don't have answers to your specific questions, but I live and work in SE Michigan and can tell you that most offices in this area have closed for the snow emergency or are operating on reduced staffing. Your boss's schedule might be disrupted by that.

Is it possible for a mod to correct the spelling of the title so it's not weeather? Total typo. Please?

I just spoke to my boss. His meeting in Detroit is still on. I just checked, NWA has canceled both the 9 am and 12:10 flights DTW-ORD. This sounds like fun today ...

Did you see the amount of snow ORD got? I think that might have something to do with it...

I can't really comment on your other questions, but I use flightstats quite often. Although other, more experienced, FTers might have other experiences, in my own experience, flightstats has better/more reliable info than airline websites. It's my understanding that flightstats gets their info directly from flight plans filed with the FAA.

For instance, two days ago I was flying PSP-DFW. Because we were having very unusually horrible weather in PSP (torrential rain/near-freezing temps -- there was actual light snow/sleet mixed with the rain!), I started checking at 9:00 a.m. for a 2:45 p.m. departure. Flightstats already showed a 15-minute delay in departure; AA.com showed no delay. When I reached the airport at 12:30, AA still had the flight listed as on time. Later, there were announcements of a slight departure delay due to inbound delay. The announced info matched exactly what I'd already seen on flightstats. We ultimately left 30 minutes late (plane had picked up ice on the wings during descent; PSP has no de-icing equipment, we had to simply sit and wait for the ice to melt ;)).

So, no, flightstats isn't guessing. If they say there's a delay, there's a delay.

The snow is the DTW area is ending circa 11:30 AM and we didn't have *that* much, so by 5:30 things could be quasi normal. His worse problem may be getting to Metro on slushy roads.

Any experienced traveler knows to check in before they get to the airport to save time there.

Bob H

It's 1 pm and still snowing here ... big flakes.

Unfortunately, he's not that experienced a flyer. I could check him in online here, but don't have luggage info.

I'm sitting in DTW right now, waiting for another shot at leaving. many of the short hop flights have been cancelled (in my case, SBN/AZO/GRR/LAN)...

weatherwise, I talked to a gate agent and she expected some clearing in the weather by 4:00, but ground delays to continue well after.

in other words, flightstats has its predictions, but anything's possible.

visibility is about zero from where I sit...ah, the joys of holiday travel.

Assuming he made it to the airport, this one worked out OK and NW had two flights with the same flight number in the air at the same time !

I don't think that's very rare -- but it doesn't happen that often.
---------------------

Departs: Orlando-Int'l, FL ( MCO )

Departure Date: December 19

Scheduled: 1:37PM
Gate: 38

Actual: 3:28PM

Scheduled: 4:18PM
Actual: 6:22PM

Gate: A21
Aircraft: A320

Arrives: Detroit-Wayne County Int'l, MI (DTW)


FLIGHT: 425
STATUS: In Flight

Departs: Detroit-Wayne County Int'l, MI (DTW)
Arrives: Chicago-O'Hare Int'l, IL ( ORD )
Departure Date: December 19

Scheduled: 5:08PM

Actual: 5:20PM

Gate: A2

Scheduled: 5:31PM
Estimated: 6:09PM

Gate: E15
Aircraft: A320
Weather: ORD

(The gate change at DTW indicates a change in plans by NW.)

Bob H

I have no experience with flightstats, but my experience with the airlines is generally that they don't post delays in a timely manner. It seems like they hope that things will get better when, really, they're not going to. Or they don't want to give customers any reason to be proactive, and jump ship to another airline, form of transit, etc.

If the flight is delayed on the board they will go with the new time, for bags and checkin. The issue is the board is normally way behind. The worst one I have ever seen was a flight I had to New York showing on time a couple minutes before it should take off and then they pushed it back two hours, not sure how that works but it is what it is.

Last year around DEC 14 I was booked DTW-ORD-ARN and we had similar weather with all DTW-ORD flights delayed or cancelled. Considering I live in ARB just beside the I94, I called the TA and had them cancel the DTW-ORD leg and drove to Chicago. Takes 3 1/2-4h if you can do it in one stretch. Made it with lots of time to spare. In bad weather the interstate highways are usually the first ones to be ploughed ^