Seattle Snowpocalypse Feb 8-12 2019 Megathread
#16
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: San Diego
Programs: IHG Spire Amb, HH Diamond, DL Diamond and 1MM
Posts: 3,610
Will my Flight Go?
I have a rt on Sat Feb 9 flying SAN-SEA on Delta. Flights are a 738 mainline. I'm scheduled to arrive in SEA at 10:33a and depart back to SAN at 3:19p the same day. What are the odds my outbound flight will be significantly delayed or cancelled?
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,943
Delta has now canceled basically every regional flight operated by CP or OO departing Seattle after 1pm today, which is roughly when the storm is predicted to start. Mainline flights are still listed as on time, so they arent quite ready to give up on those yet I guess.
AS has scattered cancellations affecting both mainline and regional, although anecdotally it seems like a smaller percentage of their operations so far and there isnt a consistent rule about what seemed to get culled. One of the cancelled flights was an oddball 7:30 PM to 3AM redeye to GSO, AS 9422 - had to be a charter of some sort, though Id love for this route to exist normally!
Not seeing any cancellations yet for Saturday, so it seems like the airlines are just as uncertain as the meteorologists about just how bad this will turn out to be...
AS has scattered cancellations affecting both mainline and regional, although anecdotally it seems like a smaller percentage of their operations so far and there isnt a consistent rule about what seemed to get culled. One of the cancelled flights was an oddball 7:30 PM to 3AM redeye to GSO, AS 9422 - had to be a charter of some sort, though Id love for this route to exist normally!
Not seeing any cancellations yet for Saturday, so it seems like the airlines are just as uncertain as the meteorologists about just how bad this will turn out to be...
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,943
On the other hand, the citys snow removal is legit bad - I heard a rumor there are only 32 plows for the entire Puget Sound area, which is probably as many as my small 50k person hometown in Virginia owned. And our usually-warmer weather means we get a lot more ice and sleet that causes super hazardous conditions. Combine that with the extreme hills and domed roads, and with the local reluctance to salt roads due to runoff worries (the salmon will be fine folks, youre gonna salt them before smoking them anyway!)...
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,943
More to the point, absolutely nothing will be happening in Seattle. If you dont mind me asking, what are you coming up here for? If its some sort of event, it will probably be cancelled too - almost everything Im aware of happening tomorrow is postponed and most businesses have proactively closed. You may also find youre stuck at the airport if you do make it up here - most methods of transportation will likely shut down, possibly including the light rail since it mostly runs at surface level.
If you really do need to be here and plan on renting a car, may I recommend the loss damage waiver?
#21
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: Delta Diamond , Marriott Ambassador, Alaska MVP Gold, American Airlines Gold
Posts: 77
As a long time transplant, Ive got kind of a mixed view on it. On one hand, yes, everyone panics - the photos of grocery stores last night that looked like a plague of locusts had descended were hilarious. And people dont follow common snow courtesy - leave more stopping distance on the road, shovel your sidewalk, remove snow from your car before driving, etc.
On the other hand, the citys snow removal is legit bad - I heard a rumor there are only 32 plows for the entire Puget Sound area, which is probably as many as my small 50k person hometown in Virginia owned. And our usually-warmer weather means we get a lot more ice and sleet that causes super hazardous conditions. Combine that with the extreme hills and domed roads, and with the local reluctance to salt roads due to runoff worries (the salmon will be fine folks, youre gonna salt them before smoking them anyway!)...
I was able to get out of SEA-TAC on a 6am flight today but Ive got colleagues in the airport and according to the Slack photos, security practically out the door (starts downstairs).
At at this point, for anyone who needs to fly out tonight or tomorrow for a long haul, Id consider driving to YVR and trying from there instead. I just had a colleague make that decision so he wont miss a flight to SYD.
#22
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: SEA
Programs: DL DM; Starwood Platinum
Posts: 22
Any reports on how Clear manages on days like today?
I'm a Clear member, but haven't had to travel on a bad weather day. Seems to me that the 5-10min signup with 2 month free trial would be pretty popular when you are looking at a security line over an hour long.
I'm a Clear member, but haven't had to travel on a bad weather day. Seems to me that the 5-10min signup with 2 month free trial would be pretty popular when you are looking at a security line over an hour long.
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,943
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30754092-post64.html gives a pretty dire picture of the situation today, but makes it sound like CLEAR is still moving smoothly.
Its not like there are extra flights this morning, so I suspect the delays are probably more staffing related than anything else.
The first flurries are falling now in North Seattle. And so it begins...
#24
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: San Diego
Programs: IHG Spire Amb, HH Diamond, DL Diamond and 1MM
Posts: 3,610
More to the point, absolutely nothing will be happening in Seattle. If you dont mind me asking, what are you coming up here for? If its some sort of event, it will probably be cancelled too - almost everything Im aware of happening tomorrow is postponed and most businesses have proactively closed. You may also find youre stuck at the airport if you do make it up here - most methods of transportation will likely shut down, possibly including the light rail since it mostly runs at
surface level
Seattle is my favorite place to visit. I was going to go to the Chinese New Year Street Festival In the International District tomorrow, but I see its been rescheduled to March 2 due to weather. As it turns out, I made a rt flight booking for that date a few months ago.
My back-up plan was to take Link into downtown and park myself in Cloudburst Brewing, but now I get that Link may not operate. Im not fool enough to be driving or riding on a road. Its bad enough driving in San Diego when it merely rains.
Ill check Sound Transits website before I go to bed tonight. It shows Link trolleys operating status. Also, Delta and FlightStats. If either looks doubtful or non-operating, ill stay in bed on Saturday. No sense waking up at 5am to catch a flight thats not going or arrive at an airport from which I cant leave.
Last edited by Bowgie; Feb 8, 2019 at 2:26 pm
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,943
Seattle is my favorite place to visit. I was going to go to the Chinese New Year Street Festival In the International District tomorrow, but I see its been rescheduled to March 2 due to weather. As it turns out, I made a rt flight booking for that date a few months ago.
My back-up plan was to take Link into downtown and park myself in Cloudburst Brewing, but now I get that Link may not operate. Im not fool enough to be driving or riding on a road. Its bad enough driving in San Diego when it merely rains.
Ill check Sound Transits website before I go to bed tonight. It shows Link trolleys operating status. Also, Delta and FlightStats. If either looks doubtful or non-operating, ill stay in bed on Saturday. No sense waking up at 5am to catch a flight thats not going or arrive at an airport from which I cant leave.
The snow has started to fall and we're up to about an inch so far in north Seattle, which is slightly ahead of schedule from the latest predictions. So it's conceivable the storm could be in and out faster than expected - or it could also dump extra unexpected moisture and make things an even bigger mess. I think checking things in the morning and deciding whether to take the trip is smart. The beauty of the weather waiver is that I think you can always decide to cancel all the way up until the last minute with no penalty, so not a lot of downside to making a last minute decision tomorrow morning for you.
#26
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 64
Seattle is my favorite place to visit. I was going to go to the Chinese New Year Street Festival In the International District tomorrow, but I see its been rescheduled to March 2 due to weather. As it turns out, I made a rt flight booking for that date a few months ago.
My back-up plan was to take Link into downtown and park myself in Cloudburst Brewing, but now I get that Link may not operate. Im not fool enough to be driving or riding on a road. Its bad enough driving in San Diego when it merely rains.
Ill check Sound Transits website before I go to bed tonight. It shows Link trolleys operating status. Also, Delta and FlightStats. If either looks doubtful or non-operating, ill stay in bed on Saturday. No sense waking up at 5am to catch a flight thats not going or arrive at an airport from which I cant leave.
Link should be fine, it hasn't had any issues the past few days.
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,943
As of this evening, the snow is a little under predictions, particularly in the city itself. Expectations were for a colossal fiasco, and the southern suburbs have gotten that (apparently up to 8 in Renton), but the city itself is at more of a 1-3 and clear roads situation. Temperatures have hovered a little higher than predicted, so a lot of moisture has hit the ground and melted immediately on impact.
The real test will be what we wake up to tomorrow; a second wave has started coming down and may add a couple inches to the total from earlier today, and if it does get colder it could turn everything into an ice skating rink.
As for the airport, its apparently right around 4 so far, so on the gentler side. There are some additional cancellations tonight, but with the slack created by the regional cancels in advance, it seems theyve mostly been able to get flights out on a 1-2 hour delay so far. That bodes well for ops tomorrow, unless things get crazy overnight...
The real test will be what we wake up to tomorrow; a second wave has started coming down and may add a couple inches to the total from earlier today, and if it does get colder it could turn everything into an ice skating rink.
As for the airport, its apparently right around 4 so far, so on the gentler side. There are some additional cancellations tonight, but with the slack created by the regional cancels in advance, it seems theyve mostly been able to get flights out on a 1-2 hour delay so far. That bodes well for ops tomorrow, unless things get crazy overnight...
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,943
2 hours makes a big difference - this evening, the second wave really picked up and is dumping a more substantial amount of snow. Were gonna wake up to a mess in the morning, from the looks of things...
#29
Here on Bainbridge it is eerily quiet this morning. Probably about 4-5" where we live ( near the Sound). The problem with this snow is that it is wet and HEAVY. branches and small trees are bent over double and the continued snow fall is not helping.
Edit to add: Now that I have gone outside...the snow fall is probably 8".
Edit to add: Now that I have gone outside...the snow fall is probably 8".
Last edited by david55; Feb 9, 2019 at 9:47 am
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,943
Sounds like the airport was a mess overnight. Roughly 6.5 total, the second most recorded there in the last 20 years, and tons of cancellations/diversions including a ground stop for several hours.
It does seem like Link light rail is running this morning, and the airport is open and slowly getting flights in and out, but its not going to be a great travel day in general. Some regionals canceled again today, but fewer than yesterday afternoon. Lots of flights already taking a 1-3 hour delay as they try to schedule out a viable plan for ops, on both the DL and AS aside of things.
The good news is that this round of snow should be winding down, so things should improve slightly as the day wears on. The bad news is that it isnt really going to warm up, so deicing will be a continued problem and the stuff thats fallen isnt going anywhere...
It does seem like Link light rail is running this morning, and the airport is open and slowly getting flights in and out, but its not going to be a great travel day in general. Some regionals canceled again today, but fewer than yesterday afternoon. Lots of flights already taking a 1-3 hour delay as they try to schedule out a viable plan for ops, on both the DL and AS aside of things.
The good news is that this round of snow should be winding down, so things should improve slightly as the day wears on. The bad news is that it isnt really going to warm up, so deicing will be a continued problem and the stuff thats fallen isnt going anywhere...