Pack a Few Carry-On Perks

Whether it's simply a canceled flight, a snow-induced grounding, or a massive disruption like volcanic ash, displaced passengers are rarely lucky enough to be in the same place at the same time with their checked luggage. So regardless of whether you're headed to a hotel or fated to make the best of an overnight perch on a hard plastic chair at the airport, a well-packed carry-on bag is your best defense. It goes without saying that hard-to-replace items (prescription medicines, eyeglasses, etc.) should travel with you at all times. But your carry-ons should contain whatever personal-comfort items you find indispensable while waiting out a delay. Have a fetish for clean socks? Pack an extra pair. Can't wear the same shirt or slacks two days in a row? Pack a backup. Can't live without your favorite shoes? Make sure they are in your bag. Needless to say, a change of undergarments is probably on everyone's list.

The Airport Oasis

Every time there's an inevitable disruption, like a major snowstorm or rain event or an unexpected element like volcanic ash, the amenities and relative quietude of an airport club is in enhanced. As we've discussed in several previous columns, all sorts of airport clubs exist: pay-for-play lounges, airline-sponsored club networks, and private haunts reserved for premium-class passengers. All have their place in the airport firmament. Yet I continue to insist that the one irreplaceable tool is Priority Pass, a trans-national, pan-airline, class-neutral network of more than 600 airport clubs. Prices start as low as $99 a year, and it's a no-brainer choice for business travelers.

Know Where the Information Is

Your advance strategies and tactics need to be aided by actionable, real-time information. The Web is awash in data. Unfortunately, too much of it is filtered through the eyes of commentators with vested interests or journalists who don't really understand the lives of business travelers. So believe what you wish, so long as you have the actual data to form your own judgment. FlightStats.com is the site I rely on for the reality of operations both on an hour-by-hour airport basis and a flight-by-flight basis. And Flightradar24.com, which displays live aircraft movement in European airspace, became the go-to resources when others were falsely claiming that flight operations would quickly return to normal this week.

Don't Go It Alone

If there is a "winner" in this battle of man and machine versus volcano, it is travel agents. Once upon a time, no business traveler would venture past his or her front door without the advice and guidance of a good agent. But as airlines drove bookings to their proprietary websites as a cost-cutting strategy, many travelers abandoned their agents. Bad decision. As airlines forced flyers to overburdened call centers to make alternate plans, travelers with good agents had a faster and more responsive avenue toward reaccommodation. The more often you fly on complicated bookings, the more you need a good travel agent and the more you value their comparatively low-priced service.

The Fine Print…

As they dealt with the volcanic-ash crisis, most carriers refused to allow travelers to rebook flights or request refunds on their websites. The reason? "Reaccommodations are the most complicated transactions an airline has to manage," one expert in airline information technology told me this week. "It's not just finding seats, it's about making sure the money trail is accurate." The complexity is undeniable, but the irony is too. Airlines have spent more than a decade urging travelers to book online as they slashed the budget and staffing levels at their call centers. The inevitable result? In this week's crisis, airline websites were largely useless, and travelers sometimes waited on hold for hours—assuming they could get past the busy signals.