KOA Kampgrounds Changes Cancellation Policy

Above, Ouray (Colorado) KOA Kampground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Over the years, I've never had to cancel a campground reservation. But I did have to change the dates of one as a friend came down with Legionnaire's Disease, which forced the change. The campground in question was not a KOA Kampground.

KOA Kampgrounds has changed their cancellation policy that travelers should be aware of.

RV Travel has posted an article on this policy.

They start it with:

If you have plans to stay at a KOA, heads up! Once known for its flexible cancellation policy, the big campground giant quietly changed all that last fall. Need to cancel your reservation? KOA’s cancellation policy could cost you dearly.

To read more, go here. 

Norwegian Cruise Line Cancels 38 Sailings

Above, the Norwegian Sky doesn't seem to be affected (so far) by the cancellations. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has cancelled cruises slated for the 2025 - 2026 season. No reason was given for the cancellations.

According to Travel Weekly:

Norwegian Cruise Line has canceled 38 cruises scheduled between November 2025 and April 2026. 

The canceled cruises were on the Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Star, according to a statement sent to travel advisors Wednesday. The line has not announced details of the ships' redeployments. 

To read more, go here. 

Probably Done With Air Travel

For the past several years, whenever I have taken a trip by plane I can get to my destination from home without any problem. But getting back home has been a whole different story.

Flight delays and flight cancellations due to weather or other causes have been the norm. 

That was the case again last week when I was trying to get home from Des Moines, Iowa. I was set to fly home last Thursday evening via American Airlines with an arrival at the Albuquerque Sunport around 11:00 PM. But the flight got delayed due to mechanical issues in the plane's cockpit. 

Well, it is better to discover a problem on the ground than at 35,000 feet in the air.

Above, at the bar at Des Moines Airport waiting for my flight to be rescheduled. It was later canceled.

First, it was to be delayed and hour. Then, as time passed, departure time was updated several times to 5:00 am. Then, the delay time was reversed backwards. Finally, the flight was canceled. We were given vouchers for a hotel room (mine was for the Quality Inn near the airport) and a meal. 

I also had my flights rescheduled for the next day. That should have been the end of it, but it wasn't. 

My morning flight from Des Moines International Airport to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport was delayed an hour of some oil issue with the plane. This delay caused me to reach the airport just after boarding for my flight to Albuquerque ended.

Well, I went over to American Airlines' customer service desk and got flight to Albuquerque scheduled to depart hour and a half later. This was fine, except my luggage was aboard the flight that I missed. It was waiting for me at the baggage area at the Albuquerque Sunport. 

Above, waiting at the Des Moines Airport hotel shuttle area
for the shuttle to the Quality Inn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Flying has become more of a nightmarish chore than a pleasure. The only flights in recent years that had no problems was my trip to and from Miami in August for the Bahamas cruise. We did get a half hour delay for our connector flight from Atlanta, but that actually worked out better as passengers from our Miami flight took their sweet time getting their overhead carry-on luggage and getting off the plane. I actually had to say something to spur them on. We made it to the gate before boarding started.

I am either never flying with American Airlines (they seem to be the worst) again or not flying altogether. I have had enough of this.

Airlines need to have passengers with connecting flights seated towards the front of the plane so they can get out faster. They also need to not have short layover times in case of delays. 

Flight Delays, Etc.

Above, Saturday at G-FEST.

It is strange that during the past few years whenever I have flown to a destination for a vacation trip, those flights have been without any problems. But when returning home, my flights have either been canceled or delayed. Usually, they have been weather-related. I had to stay overnight twice due to flight cancelations. It happened at G-FEST in 2019 and Salt Lake City in 2020.

The trip going to G-FEST in Chicago has been the same. The flight there was on-time and without any problems. But coming back, my flight was delayed for three hours. I don't actually know the reason for this, but it would be safe guess it was also weather-related. I had a 10:00 flight on Sunday. 

We did have a thunderstorm come through Chicago Saturday night and it rained Sunday morning.

It looks like others who attended G-FEST had travel problems as I did. Yesterday, one was diverted to another Florida airport due to weather. Another had a flight delay going to North Carolina.  

Next month, I am going on a cruise to the Bahamas. Hopefully, the flight from Albuquerque to Miami (and back) will go without incident. I'm not counting on it.

Southwest Airlines P.R. Fiasco

From CNN Business:

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan released an apology to stranded travelers as the beleaguered airline continues to grapple with what US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has referred to as a complete "meltdown" of the system. In all, Southwest has canceled more than 15,700 flights since winter weather began disrupting air travel on December 22.

To say that Southwest Airlines has a major public relations problem over flight cancellations would be a gross understatement. Industry reports that the airline's system was antiquated and the airline knew that it was. This was years in the making. They chose to pay dividends to stockholders instead of updating their infrastructure, according to other sources.

I think the only flights I took aboard Southwest Airlines was round-trips to Love Field in Dallas last year. 

They really owe customers a lot of money for ruining their Christmas vacations. Winter weather problems are one thing, but having their whole flight system going into "meltdown" is quite another. They need to step up and take care of these people or they can expect a huge class action lawsuit. 

I am glad that I didn't fly anywhere during this holiday season.

Japan Also Hit By Heavy Snows

Above, the street in front of my Tokyo hotel in 2014. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The United States wasn't the only country to be hit by powerful winter snowstorms this past weekend.

Many parts of Japan has also been hard hit by snowstorms that killed 17 people and injured over 90. 

The U.S. storm(s) have left holiday travelers stranded and flights were either cancelled or delayed. Many flights in Japan were also cancelled or delayed.

When I hear about heavy snows in Japan, they remind me of my February 2014 trip to Japan that had me stranded for nearly 24 hours on a commuter train between Narita Airport and Tokyo in Chiba Prefecture. Two big storms hit Japan during my trip, the first one arriving at the same time my flight did,

According to The Japan Times:

Heavy snow blanketed many parts of Japan on Friday, with some western cities renewing records and the weather agency warning of traffic disruptions, blizzard conditions and high waves.

The Meteorological Agency said it expected the rough weather to continue through Monday, moving from the country’s north and east to the west.

Record snowfall was observed in Shikoku, with Kochi registering 14 centimeters and Tokushima 8 cm in the six hours to 10 a.m. 

To read more, go here. 

Flight Cancellations: What To Do

Above, stuck at the Rosemont, Illinois
Motel 6 due to a flight cancellation.

During the past few years, it seemed that air travel had gotten worse with flight delays and cancellations.

With the exceptions of my recent trip to Los Angeles and last year's trip to Dallas/Fort Worth, flying had been a hassle. Generally, the problems arose when I would be trying to get back home rather than heading to the planned destinations. 

In those cases, one has to thank God for cell phones with Internet access to reschedule flights when one's flight had been cancelled. Twice, those flights caused me to stay an extra night as the next available flight would be the next day. I ended up getting rooms. This happened to me in 2019 when I was trying to get home from G-FEST and when I was trying to get home last year from Twin Falls. Both were weather-related.

Travel + Leisure has posted an article on what to do if one's flight is cancelled.

They begin with:

Between extraordinarily high demand from passengers, airline staff shortages, and standard summer weather delays, flights have been delayed or canceled left and right. And while any unexpected schedule changes makes flying a hassle, it shouldn't completely discourage you from traveling.

From rebooking to hopefully getting a refund, travel expert, Scott Keyes, the founder of Scott's Cheap Flights, shared his tips and insight with Travel + Leisure for navigating these hectic times in air travel.

 To read more, go here.

Why To Avoid Campsite Cancellations

Above, Lightner Creek Campground in Durango, Colorado. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Prior to two years ago, I never made a campsite cancellation. A friend came down with what we thought was COVID-19 just before we were to head up to Colorado for some camping.

I contacted the campground and explained the situation and they were good about it, but held the deposit money for when we could reschedule.

It turned out my friend didn't have coronavirus, but Legionnaire's Disease. Once that cleared up, we rescheduled the trip and I contacted the campground and rescheduled. The held deposit was applied to that.

RV Life says that campers should avoid campsite cancellations and gives several reasons why.

They begin with:

Much like 2021, 2022 is seeing a record number of people reserving (or trying to reserve) campsites. Reservations must often be made months in advance to be successful in state parks or national parks (or provincial parks if you are reserving in Canada). 

But who knows exactly what’s going to happen in life, months down the road? Nobody plans to cancel a campsite reservation, but life has its own way of making us change our plans.

With the pandemic, natural disasters, and all the other unpredictable life events, campsite cancellations can be impossible to avoid. Even with all that in mind, canceling a campsite can cause problems. 

There are a few great reasons to avoid campsite cancellations. 

To read more, go here. 

By the way, the travel trailer pictured above is for sale in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. My friend wants to get a Class C motorhome. To view the for sale listing, go here.

Cancelling Campground Reservations, Do It As Soon As You Can

Above, The Beast at Alpen Rose RV Park in Durango, Colorado. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Gasoline prices are reported to be dropping. Whether this trend will continue or it is just a blip is anyone's guess.

The skyrocketing gas prices have caused some people to cancel campsite cancellations, but those canceling should do it now so that others can fill those vacancies.

RV Travel has posted an article on canceling due to gas prices and they start it with:

Record fuel prices are undoubtedly changing summer camping plans for RVers across North America. These high prices could force people to cancel their campground reservations. After all, a national average price of $4.325 per gallon for gasoline (as of Monday, March 14) certainly impacts trip costs when your motorized RV averages 8 miles per gallon.

Campground owners throughout the U.S. are just beginning to report an uptick in reservation cancellations for the 2022 summer camping season. Some owners are already reporting cancellation percentages in the double digits. Luckily for them, they are also seeing double-digit growth in advanced reservations so, at this point, it’s a bit of a wash.

Cancel campground reservations before it’s too late for others

Park owners are also concerned that campers won’t cancel their campground reservations until it’s too late for others to take their place.

To read more, go here. 

Over 2,000 Flights Canceled Sunday

Above, a United Airlines Dreamliner at LAX. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If this so-called pandemic continues throughout 2022, people may have to think twice before traveling by air during the holiday season.

The travel nightmare continues as over 2,000 flights were cancelled yesterday, a day where New Year's revelers were returning home.

According to WGNO (an ABC affiliate of New Orleans):

(NewsNation Now) — For air travelers, the new year picked up where the old one left off – with lots of frustration over canceled or delayed flights.

By Sunday afternoon, a day when many travelers plan to return home from holiday trips, 2,322 U.S. flights and more than 3,926 worldwide had been canceled, according to tracking service FlightAware.

Southwest canceled more than 411 flights nationwide or 11% of its schedule Sunday. SkyWest canceled 494 flights. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines scrubbed more than 100 flights each, and United Airlines canceled 101.

Among international carriers, China Eastern scrubbed more than 464 flights or 23% of its total schedule and Air China canceled more than 150 flights, 14% of its schedule, according to FlightAware.

 To read more, go here.

Flight Delays and Cancellations To Last Through New Year

Above, an AMTRAK train arrives at Gallup Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

My decision to just stay home this holiday season kept me from the horrors of the mass flight cancellations and not driving the RV anywhere saved me some money since I had car repair expenses this month.

If people think that air travel is going to return to normal anytime soon, they're sadly mistaken. 

The chaos will continue through the New Year according to TravelPulse:

It was almost a week ago when a couple of airlines started reporting a handful of flight delays and cancellations – which quickly snowballed into a nightmare for people traveling to family and friends and warmer climates for the Christmas holiday.

And if you thought it was over, think again.

Because that was the last week; now they all must come home, and it’s not going to get any better.

“I don’t think it’s going to go away just because we’re turning the page to 2022,” Sheila Kahyaoglu, an aerospace and defense airlines equity research analyst at Jefferies, said on CNBC. “This could stick around for a few weeks.”

According to the New York Times, as of Noon today, Wednesday, December 29, another 840 flights just in the U.S. have been canceled due in small part to weather and in large part to Omicron, which has forced already-depleted airline staffers to call in sick.

Worldwide, more than 10,000 flights have been canceled since Christmas Eve according to data from FlightAware.com, a flight tracking service.

The only real viable alternative to getting from Point A to Point B appears to be by train. I haven't heard of any problems this season with AMTRAK. I wonder if any of the stranded yo-yos even considered train travel.

To read more, go here. 

Air Travel: Holiday Nightmare Continues

Above, a social distanced flight. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last summer, disruptions of flights in the western half of the U.S. due to thunderstorms were quite, um, something. I got stuck overnight in Salt Lake City as I missed my connecting flight to Albuquerque because of them.

But as disruptive that episode was (for me), it pales in comparison to what it happening now with air travel.  

And it continues.

From Moody on the Market:

(NEW YORK) — The omicron variant continues to wreak havoc on holiday travel from coast to coast.

Over the weekend, airlines reported more than 3,000 flight cancellations with at least one stop in the U.S, according to FlightAware, and the travel troubles don’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. As of 11:30 a.m. Monday morning, nearly 1,000 flights had already been canceled, and the number was steadily creeping up by the hour.

United, Delta, JetBlue, American and Alaska cited the recent COVID-19 surge as one of the reasons for the cancellations because it has left them with crew shortages. In an effort to avoid more disruptions, JetBlue and Alaska have even resorted to offering extra pay to healthy employees who can pick up additional shifts.

Winter weather in the western part of the country didn’t help — slamming airports in Seattle, Los Angeles and Denver. Those three airports accounted for more than 600 flight cancellations on Sunday alone.

Glad I stayed home this year.

To read more, go here. 

UPDATE (12-28-21):

From KVIA: 2,800 more flights cancelled today. 

Details, go here.

Christmas Flight Cancellations: "A Disaster of Epic Proportions"

It is incredible that people are traveling by air during this time of the omicron variant. Many travelers are facing flight cancellations as they try to return home from their Christmas holiday trips. Some are still even planning to travel over New Year's.

They should have their heads examined, to put it mildly.

According to TravelPulse, more flights are being cancelled:

Several hundred more flights have already been canceled so far this morning, Sunday, December 26, as Christmas weekend has turned into a nightmare for airlines and air travelers worldwide thanks to the Omicron variant.

More than 6,000 flights have been canceled since late Thursday, December 23, and more than 20,000 flights have been delayed, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.com. As of 10 a.m. this morning, another 723 flights have already been canceled worldwide for tomorrow, Monday, December 27.

It’s a disaster of epic proportion for the airline industry, which had been enjoying a resurgence of passengers this year as they bounce back from the effects of the pandemic. The industry had strong Memorial Day, Summer, Labor Day and Thanksgiving travel numbers, and Christmas started the same way.

This is 100x worse than the hassle I had last July in getting home from Twin Falls, Idaho due to thunderstorms.

To read more, go here.