toomanybooks

Yeah, read about what happened here once to Mayor Michael Bilandic:

"In the winter of 1979, a blizzard struck Chicago and effectively closed down the city. The city's slow response to the debilitating storm was publicly blamed on Bilandic. Additionally, as part of attempts to deal with the storm, Bilandic ordered Chicago 'L' trains to bypass many intermediate stops, particularly affecting African American neighborhoods on the South Side, and angering that large voter base."

And Bilandic lost the primary for re-election that year.

GITU

Have you ever been to Port Authority in NYC?

floridastorm

I'm curious about something and in no way am I being condescending toward anyone. Most people that fly are certainly not homeless types. Why then do most people see fit to spend the night or nights at the airport when there is a storm or major disruption in air travel? Every airport has numerous hotels nearby or attached to the airport. Are they just too cheap to pay for a hotel? Possibly there is a small amount of people who may be strapped for funds. But most, I'm quite sure, can afford a hotel. Also, shouldn't travelers always have the means available for contingencies. Who travels with no credit cards or cash in their pocket?

cmn.jcs

A few things I can think of: hotels may be full, hotels may be full enough that the rate for any remaining rooms is higher than a person is willing to pay, if someone's been rebooked on an early-morning flight it may not make sense to get a hotel room just to get a couple hours of sleep before hading back to the airport.

Adam1222

There is a large swath of America that isn't "homeless", but doesnt fall into the "not a big deal to pay an unexpected $150+ for an airport hotel room" income bracket. In fact, that's probably the majority of America. You're simply imposing your value judgment on others that it is always worth it to stay in a hotel. I'm fairly financially comfortable and if it's midnight and id have to be back at the airport at 5am, I'd think very carefully about dropping more than $100 to go to a hotel for a few hours.

Jane42

My vacations are carefully planned and I do not factor in paying for an extra hotel room, especially if it only for a few hours. I do have a credit card for emergencies, but a few hours of sleep are not an emergency.

GITU

You said it much more nicely than I could!

Tchiowa

I'd disagree with the bolded phrase. Other than that, you're completely right. A lot of budget travelers when presented with the option will choose to sleep on the floor at the airport rather than spend $150 for a room. It depends primarily if the $150 is large enough within your budget that it will make a diference in the quality of life at your destination.

Ber2dca

I wouldn't consider myself especially wealthy, but I'd certainly pay 100-150 bucks to avoid the "sleeping on the floor at the airport" scenario.

fwoomp

I grew up in a snowy area, and it was common to see "people stranded at the airport!" stories on the news around the holidays. I suspect that for many, that trip to see grandma, along with the buying of presents and whatnot, probably either took their last nickel, or didn't leave very many. (Interviewees were often of the young, fabulous, and broke demographic, too.)

I also have no doubt that the hotels around there simply filled up fast. There weren't that many--still aren't--and fewer still were reasonably priced. The farther out you got, the harder it was to get back to the airport. Not only that, the same hotels were on major highways, so they were probably getting drivers walking in who decided it would be safer to stop for the night, too.

Adam1222

You may not be familiar with income inequality in America. 60% of American households earn less than $62,000 a year. 40% earn less than $38,000. Most are not homeless. But $150

The Southwestification of travel, along with the proliferation of blogs convincing people with little expendable money to travel by getting credit cards and points means that a larger segment of the American public is traveling via air. The larger point is that just because someone isnt "homeless" doesn't mean its no big deal to drop a couple of hundred dollars.

sweeper20

Those crazy, pesky facts that others are presenting against your argument....but hey, don't let that get in the way of your good story, bro!

sweeper20

^

Tchiowa

That's what I said. Depends on the person and his situation. But I don't see someone making $62k/year sleeping on a floor to save $100. My disagreement was with the term "majority of Americans".

floridastorm

I'm with you. I'm certainly not going to allow my wife to sleep on the floor of any airport, regardless. As some people stated they would not mind staying at the airport if it were only for a few hours. Well sure, some flight delays are that much even in the best of weather. What I was referring to is overnight or even two nights due to bad weather. You can also get robbed very easily when you're sleeping at places like airports.