We’re a couple of days into the long Fourth of July holiday weekend — which is forecast to be a very busy travel period. KTLA 5, one of my local stations here in Los Angeles, said a million people will depart from LAX during the Friday-Monday span.
So, if you’re one of the brave souls braving the understaffed airports and Delta Air Lines, we have these three travel reminders for you.
You Can Change Your Travel Schedule for Free
Delta ominously issued a travel waiver for its entire system. That’s pretty much akin to the airline saying, “Yep, we know it might be bad and things will go south. So, change your flights to whatever you want.”
The affected travel dates are now through July 4. So, if you want to tack on an extra couple of days to your trip, you can with no fare difference. (Or if you want to ditch your plans and get travel sooner, you can do that, too — provided you’re scheduled to fly July 4 or sooner.)
The waiver is effective worldwide — not just the U.S.
Delayed Checked Luggage = Free Bonus SkyMiles
If you check luggage during a Delta trip and your bags don’t arrive at your final destination’s carousel within 20 minutes of your flight’s arrival, you can submit a claim to receive 2,500 bonus SkyMiles. (That’s worth about $25 of travel.) So, you can potentially earn 5,000 bonus SkyMiles during a roundtrip.
My friend Derrick is a comedian and motivational speaker who travels all the time. He could probably take a trip to the moon and back with all the SkyMiles he’s racked up from Delta’s Bags on Time guarantee. The promotion is valid in the 50 United States and Puerto Rico. Eligible flights must be marketed and operated by Delta or Delta Connection.
It’s OK to Be Frustrated – But Please Be Kind to Employees and Fellow Travelers
I tip my cap to you if you’re traveling this weekend. I usually envy travelers when I’m not out on the road. Not this weekend. (Yesterday, I took my farthest trip of the entire holiday weekend: a seven-mile roundtrip to Costco to buy food and supplies for a barbecue I’m hosting Monday.)
Most of the airport employees you see would rather be on vacations of their own or at home.
Keep in mind the weather isn’t their fault. Also, they didn’t design the airport or the freeways that are full of traffic. They’re not the ones who created the kiosk software or airline website or app. Don’t take your anger out on them. Ask them for help or guidance, sure. But don’t lose your temper. (Some Delta corporate office employees are spending their holiday weekend helping out wherever they can at a couple of airports.) In fact, you may even want to smile or thank them for working the holiday period.
If you encounter someone who’s not the frequent traveler you are or is a complete idiot, don’t lose your cool. They may not have a clue what they’re doing. This might be one of their first trips in a long time. Maybe they’re nervous or something. Or taking a trip they don’t want to. (I know of people traveling to a funeral being held Tuesday.)
These are things we should keep in mind in general — but especially during busy periods.
Final Approach
This is a crazy holiday weekend — and it’s probably going to be stressful in airports and airplanes. Remember you can change your Delta flight for free. If your luggage is delayed, get yourself some SkyMiles! And try to be kind and patient with everyone.
Let us know how your travels go this weekend!
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